


Wanderers in the Garden of Memories

by 7dragons7, cloudsgrl



Category: 07-Ghost
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Death, F/M, Gen, M/M, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-02-03
Updated: 2014-01-18
Packaged: 2017-11-28 00:32:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 40,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/668236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/7dragons7/pseuds/7dragons7, https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloudsgrl/pseuds/cloudsgrl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Perhaps those people that linger on the edges of your memory are important. Faces that can’t quite be made out and voices that just fall short in your mind. Perhaps they are real.<br/>Living with vague memories of a time that didn’t exist in history books, Ayanami was prepared to dismiss himself as delusional. However an encounter with Labrador was more than enough to prove to Ayanami that it wasn’t just a figment of his imagination.<br/>Perhaps you’re not so alone in this garden of dreams and shattered images as you once thought…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Scholar and a Tea Shoppe Worker

**Author's Note:**

> Expect updates on the first Saturday of every month!

### It begins with a dark glowing ember, something black burning its way out of me.

_I want you to live your life as a human._

Warm violet pools appeared behind pale lashes, slowly refocusing on the world he’d temporarily zoned out of. A darkness filled with voices he could almost say he recalled. Faint images of people with their entire beings blurred out. Places he’d never seen and imagery that did not exist in this world. 

He sighed some and shook the some of the stray silver hair out of his face. Vision as clear as it could be the thin silver haired male leaned slightly against the stone wall, overlooking the city before him. One of the seven districts here. The only district in all of Barsburg that had a library. This old dusty place still held some of the most ancient works that had ever been written. Unfortunately most written works had fallen in the big collapsing of the empires so very long ago, this library had what was able to survive the destruction. His job here, with the other scholars, was to maintain this place. That sometimes included rewriting entire works to make sure its knowledge survived. 

“Nami-kun,” 

He wrinkled his nose at the nickname the elderly scholars called him by but turned away from the bright outside world to find out what they needed from him today. The usual, was most likely, but perhaps today would be different. 

He walked towards the soft voices, through the this dark and dusty place where he’d been raised. Found as a child, no more than five on a cold and snowy winter night, he was saved and taught a great deal of skills that many outside these walls lacked. He was very fortunate. But he was also... caged. 

Yes, a cage was most certainly was what this was. But sometimes there were birds and beasts that must stay behind bars for their own safety. Sometimes they couldn’t survive on the outside world. Should he attempt to take a step out he could very well die. His body was sick and frail, it had always been so. His increasing age had done a little bit to help so things weren’t so serious. His fevers didn’t come as often, but perhaps that was just because he was a bit more careful, much more so than he’d been when he was a younger child. 

His diminishing health aside there was of course his poor sight. He felt for the thin frames in his pocket, detesting them so. He only wore them when they were absolutely needed. Mostly for reading and copying down the important scripture in the ancient texts. He couldn’t let his detest for his poor vision affect such important work. 

“Was your friend by the window today, Nami-kun?” another one of the older men asked him as he approached their usual table. 

He shook his head slightly. “It’s still early.” 

His friend was the great black hawk that perched just above the window he’d been staring out of moments before. A bird that had been here for a great many years now. It was just a baby when he’d arrived here, fifteen some years ago. They’d grown up together, in a sense, by that window and watching the world pass by. And now... He was worried when he didn’t see the large predator after a day or so. The bird was getting older and someday soon...

“That bird is a bad omen.” Another one of the elderly scholars interjected..

“So you’ve said for a great many years,” a slightly younger man laughed. “But nothing terrible has happened to us.” 

The silver haired male took his stack of books, that were clearly for him to work on, not caring to hear this rather bitter conversation. First the albino child with the unnatural eyes and the bird appearing the same day. Ill tidings. Bad luck. And so on and so on... there were only a few scholars that felt that sort of detest towards him. Though they could talk as they liked, it didn’t bother him, of course. He cared not... Not really.

One conversation about how dreadfully unlucky he was had turned out rather interesting some years ago... 

_“There is a deadly group that existed many years ago. They were called the Blackhawks and they were a destructive wrathful group full of darkness and evil. If you were to cross their path, you were never seen again. And their leader. A dreadful being whose name has thankfully been lost over time.”_ Or so their bitter story went. They had also said that this group of killers was a reason to Barsburg’s military’s success and their downfall... The reason why that black bird of prey was such a bad thing to have at the window. Matched with the equally unlucky pale child... It could only mean disaster. 

Despite their cruel words, the group snagged the young silver’s attention. Who was this terrible military team that his friend and him were being compared to? So he searched and searched, however... no records existed about such a group. He scoured the library out of curiosity but never found a word about them. It was quite possible that the records and books had been destroyed. Unable to be recovered when the world fell into chaos. It was disappointing but for reasons he couldn’t quite be sure of. He was just... compelled to learn of this deadly group. These beings of misfortune and chaos that tore the world apart. To this day his curiosity about these mysterious dark beings plagued him. 

Taking his business away from the chattering old men he went back to his usual window, his little desk was waiting for him as always. Everything so neat and orderly day after day. Nothing changed. And yet... 

If he closed his eyes he could almost see another place entirely. Feel the presence of other people. Someone reaching out to adjust something on his head. Someone placing their weight against him. Smiles and wide eyed appreciation. A familiar aroma of a tea he could not place in this world. The sound of scribbling pens on thick sheets of paper. Excitable and scolding tones of voices of people he didn’t know and words he couldn’t understand. It felt warm... it felt like... 

It was a place he wished to know. Maybe it was a place he did know but had forgotten. Fractured and splintered of memories that chose to haunt him and never reveal anything more. Only leading him to question desperately for years and years. It was extremely frustrating and happened more than he’d care to admit. Were they shattered images of a past? A future...? What exactly...? 

He had hoped that the images and cryptic words would help him find the reason he felt so empty inside. Hollow... There were things missing within him. Pieces that he could not be found so he searched these books endlessly in hopes of a clue. Some kind of fragment that he would be able to decipher. And yet... after all these years he’d learned nothing. There were no answers for him here. If he wanted to learn something he’d have to leave this place. And that just could never be. He was a bird that had to remain within this cage.

The young man, Ayanami, was the darkness within this dusty place. A shadow looking for something to follow, for someone to belong to. While everyone knew who they were and where they belonged he was the bad omen wandering the halls of history in hopes of some kind of revelation. But there was nothing. He’d be stuck here forever rewriting the pages of old volumes of books until the end of his days. 

He sighed softly, putting on his glasses and opening the first book, the cover almost crumbled in his hands. A _very_ old book... it was good that he was rewriting this one then. It wouldn’t last too much longer.

His gaze traveled over the words of each page taking in the information while also copying the precious words onto sheets of parchment. This seemed to be a bible of sorts. The Chief of Heaven and all that he had done. The great wonders he’d created and the wishes of peoples hearts. His daughter and the love and kindness she bestowed on all beings. And of course his most perfect creation. Ve-

A loud screech at the window almost made his quill run along all his finely written words not to mention a couple hours of work.

He took a deep breath, grateful for small favors and set down his feathered utensil before he actually damaged his writings. Despite the almost incident a faint smile appeared on his face. The loyal bird on his usual perch. Not the proud bird he used to be... old age had taken him by the talons and made life quite a bit difficult for him. 

“Welcome home. I take hunting didn’t go so well? If there are anything you’d enjoy from my plate at dinner, you of course may have it.” He reached out to pet the withering feathers of his only friend. “But you called me over here for a reason, yes?” 

His gaze raked over the busy city, intently searching for something. _Ah yes_....The world was rebuilding itself. Militaries were rising again. There was rumor that the Church as well was once more practicing their ancient religion. No doubt something about the Chief of Heaven he’d just been reading about. It was all signs that order was finally being restored to their world that had been in chaos and lost for far too long. The young silver haired male smiled faintly at the sound of screeching birds, long thought to be gone from this world. Their almost long lost calls echoed through the district. Hawkziles. They flew once more! 

His smile widening a little bit he leaned out of the window, as much as he was able, to help him get a better view of the goings on in the far off distance.. He pushed up the thin frames of his glasses so they wouldn’t fall onto the bustling distract below. Despite his hatred for the loathsome spectacles he was able to see the shining metal, that covered these magnificent birds, gleaming in the late afternoon sun. Truly majestic creatures. The stories had said that the birds could be huge. And there was one that was bigger than all others. It carried some of the most important people in the military of the past. 

“The Barsburg military... they can fly wherever they please once more.” Ebony and gold banners would wave in sky as they once had in the past. The Empire would fix the world that had been destroyed by those supposed monsters called the Blackhawks. 

His companion at the window let out a weak screech, turning a golden eye onto Ayanami, as if he could sense the young man’s excitement and also his sadness at this sight.

“It is bittersweet isn’t it? But all is well. In no life that I could have ever lived would I have been able to join their ranks.” Far too sickly and weak. His eyes were absolutely terrible, his vision tended to fail him more often than not. Curse of the pale children, so they said. “It’s for the best. I owe my life to the people here.. I cannot simply leave.” All the same he watched with strained attentiveness as the first Hawkziles in almost a hundred years soared into the sky and out of sight. 

“I want you to live your life as a human...” He murmured the word under his breath, his pale brow furrowed. Those words that haunted him so. And it was only one phrase of many that continued to bombard him in his dreams and blackouts. But those particular words. They struck him right to the core, for they were the most confusing, especially if they were meant for him specifically. After all... wasn’t he a normal human? Wasn’t his life normal, if not a little boring...? 

As nice as it was to pretend that somewhere out there he was someone important to someone though, a prince or great warrior, silly things that kids dream of, it was not a real thing. It was not a reality. Not for him. He wasn’t a child, not anymore. He was an adult pushing the age of twenty. It was certainly time to learn and come to terms with the fact that this library was all he’d know and all he’d ever know. He lived because of these kind people... and it wasn't’ a bad life. Not at all. They were good to him and it was better than the life he could have known. Abandoned and left to die. A sick child like him would have never survived. 

There was no sudden mystery to be solved. This was his place... 

“Time to get back to work.” he told his window companion who let out another noise in response. 

Pushing up the long white sleeves of his robes he took his seat once more and picking up his quill he got back to work.. The young silver male pushed up his glasses a bit, his violet gaze catching something on these pages a bit ahead of what he was writing. 

“The seven ghosts...” he murmured softly. And for some reason, even though he’d never heard of this ancient religion until today, he knew the names of all seven without a second thought. They flashed in his mind without hesitation causing him to freeze up. 

_‘I want you to live your life as a human,’_

The words echoed through his mind once again the soft voice that spoke so sadly towards him. Pity and regret. Who? Who was this? 

Ayanami put his hands over his ears, his eyes closing tightly. “I am human... I am living a human life. I am no one else but me.” 

_‘Aya-tan is Aya-tan,’_

More. More of this. These words. These fragments of memories... Pieces that didn’t seem to belong anywhere in history nor at any point during his boring life here. 

So... maybe...

“Nami-kun, you’re being slow today.” 

The soft and scolding words broke through the veil of fragmented memories. 

“My apologies...” he answered in a voice that could hardly be called a whisper. Ayanami slowly put his hands back down, trying not to think about how silly he looked just now. This wasn’t the first time these fragmented memories caused him to look like a fool in front of everyone...

He heard the slow and light footsteps of the older man approach him and felt the hand on his head, ruffling his silver hair just slightly. “You’re a good child. We all wish you happiness.” 

He smiled faintly, his eyes sliding closed at the soothing words. And quite suddenly, the world seemed alright again. He was Ayanami, one of the scholars and book keepers in the only library of Barsburg. A human. With people who wished him happiness. Nothing more or less. And that was just fine. Nothing in this whole world would change that. Who could complain about feeling so terribly empty when he had a life that some people out there only dreamed of?

 

Unknown to the historian, barely a district over, lived a boy with a very similar problem, and very similar coloring. Pale like the snow with vibrant violet eyes, this almost adult acted as a host in a small, quaint, almost unknown tea shoppe on the edge of the district. This teenager always arrived just before everyone else, and always remained to be the last within. He managed to complete all his work during his work hours, but he had an excuse every morning for his early appearance, and something he had forgotten later that day. There were rumors the quiet boy never left the store despite the fact his family lived just on the other side of the district wall, despite the fact everyone saw him walk into the district every morning, always silent, but always there.

Since his arrival, rumors circulated around this teen, about his silence, about the way he tended to zone out for moments at a time and have no recollection about what had just occurred, and about his origin. He was the local mystery, and he kept the local people talking, even inspiring more business for the shoppe as everyone came to gaze at the androgynous pretty boy.

Currently, he found himself measuring out four grams of tea leaves plucked carefully from their container for freshness. He shifted the almost boiling pot of water over to a less warm burner, not wanting to scald the leaves when he’d add the water to the tea pot. The leaves were gently laid in the strainer, and with a practiced precision he poured the steaming water into the teapot, over the leaves, and placed the lid on securely. His mind was filled with thoughts of flowers, of tunes and songs that he could hear and sing but no one seemed to understand, tones of voices that seemed inhumane, and the sound of semi-recognizable voices.

“Labrador-kun,” this voice, this tone, was far more human and easily remembered and recalled. It was his boss, a little woman who was just as sickly, just as easily injured and broken as he, little sickly boy from another district. “Are you going to take them their tea?”

He nodded, tucking slightly too long strands of hair behind his ear before wheeling an entire tea service to the table in question. His hands were steady as he placed the tray on the table along with the provided snacks that seemed to pale in comparison to something he vaguely remembered eating at one point in those blurred memories. His voice was quiet, soft, and everyone had to strain to hear him, but no one complained or asked him to speak up. It went with the atmosphere of the shoppe, and no one dared break the peaceful silence. It was this gentleness, in combination with a music soundtrack that emanated from the back room that kept the customers returning and kept the tea shoppe open and alive.

Returning to the back room with the cart, Labrador’s hands skirted the empty chairs on his way towards the front, his eyes going blank as his vision went out. While his vision went dark and his thoughts froze, his body continued the motions of walking to his designated area. He reached the front of the store, where he managed the miscellaneous merchandise of extra teas, tea cups and tea sets, losing himself to a fit of coughing once he was out of sight of the current customers. After heaving for air, the boy straightened up, and the distorted pupils returned to their usual brightness, and his thoughts and vision returned to him with barely a worry.

No valuables had been destroyed or ruined this time, no teas were accidentally dumped over with a misplaced step or a flailing arm. It meant no one would notice the blank moment this time, nor the duration of the black out, and he felt a wave of relief. They were coming more often now, a tightness in his chest, a feeling of being cold, always cold. And those voices that sometimes spoken in choruses, or his own voice, stronger and less afraid, singing along with them. And then there was that feeling of hands patting his shoulder, or arms wrapped around him without thought.

It was those moments, those misplaced memories and thoughts, that had Labrador thinking that maybe, just maybe, something was missing. It wasn’t just the moments of emptiness, the voices no one else could hear, it wasn’t just all the curious stares he would receive from everyone who appeared to question and wonder his life story. His mind, his body, possibly even that elusive thing some people called a soul was missing something. And it was enough to keep him distracted constantly.

Labrador peered at the clock and then the shadows outside the store. Once again, the clock read a time far earlier than it actually was. The store only had another hour, and the shoppe would close until early the next day. He began counting the makeshift register, readying the money for the next day, as no one ever came to the shoppe this late, and people tended to pay upfront. There were always those few new customers, those ones who came once they heard he helped here, who didn’t know the prices, who didn’t know what they would drink today, and then there were those who knew frequented the shop daily, coming at the same time to the point where Labrador would always have the tea ready and waiting for them, still warm, still fresh, and he’d greet them with a smile that had even the most uptight businessman in the district relax and not want to leave. 

The monotonous, unthinking motions of counting had the teenager slipping once again into a blank expression, hands still counting, fingers separating each individual sliver of crystal and piling it into different quantities for easy counting later. His mind wandered to the latest rumor about him, far more closer to the truth than the others that had risen before now:

“Did you hear? They say the boy came from that wasteland, that place where those plants are rampant, where they kill whoever comes too close to those ruins. His body was found there, and his current parents saved him from the roots of a juniper bush that was about to impale him for nutrients.”

The plant hadn’t been about to eat him, as no one had ever seen a plant move on its own, but the idea was conveyed effectively. The plants at the former church were once considered the pride and joy that beckoned visitors from all across the once glorious kingdom of Barsburg. But when the church had fallen, the plants became feral and dangerous, killing those who came far too close, and Labrador’s former family had left the sickly infant there to fend for itself. If it hadn’t been for the brother-sister duo he called his parents, Labrador would have died long ago, at the ruins of a once feared and respected church.

The light haired male sighed, pausing in the action as the small jingle of bells from the door sounded. Someone had entered the tea shoppe less than an hour before closing. He quickly brushed the crystal currency into the usual container, hiding it underneath a tray of sample teas people were able to take home. It was a little old man, hunched back, a cane barely keeping him standing upright, and Labrador hurried to his side to guide him to a seat. The man’s voice was raspy, the guttural deep sound that Labrador had associated with people who lived long past their prime, and refused to give up living just yet. He respected these people who had lasted as long as they had, and he found himself preparing the elderly man a cup of tea without being asked, found himself placing a couple sugars in the cup, allowing it to dissolve before handing it to the man with a small smile.

“Is there anything else I can get you?” Labrador asked softly, eyes shifting to the group who had finished their current pot and were asking for more water. The old man waved him away, and Labrador left him be after making sure the man had everything he could need during his time away. While supplying the other table with a fresh steaming water, he returned to counting the money, eyes constantly seeking out the old man nursing the carefully prepared cup of tea. 

As the sun disappeared out of sight, and the shadows were long enough to get lost in, Labrador was urged home by the little woman he called his boss. He was stubborn, not wishing to ruin this pattern he found himself in, but she had orders from his parents. It was after twenty minutes of urging, and reminding him that his parents wanted him home early for the celebration, that he agreed to leave until his usual time the next morning, something that had his boss sighing and shaking her head, but she refused to argue with him anymore about it. With a quick glance at the boy who had kept her shop open for so long, she counted out money quickly and handed it to him.

“Keep it,” she urged, “You never know when you might need a little extra money.” He accepted it half-heartedly, pocketing it carefully. Labrador would hold onto it, save it for an occasion where the extra cash would be most helpful. With a grateful bow, he turned and grabbed the cloak he always wore to and from work; an overly large piece of white fabric that he had turned into a makeshift mantle that tended to flow around him with every slight gesture and movement. The petite man wrapped it around himself as he stepped outside and into the shadows of the secluded alleyway that held the entrance. The wind blew and Labrador lifted the fabric of the cloak, turning it into a muffler to keep his face warm in the icy breeze. Already, this district had managed to provide itself with salvaged technology, and it released a musky smoke smell that dried Labrador’s throat and made his eyes burn and water painfully. He hurried through the closing market stalls, ignoring the stares and whispers as everyone saw him leave the shop.

The gate, a pair of doors placed as a makeshift gate that were unconnected to anything else marked the exit of the district. He didn’t bother opening them and stepping through, just calmly walking around the steadily shabby doors. He needed to get home before it got far too dark; it was dangerous for one deemed as pretty as he, wearing a reflective white fabric on the trails between districts. It was more than dangerous, typically he had to await Lem to walk him back, but today, it wouldn’t have been possible.

Today was the anniversary of the day he had been found, today was the day he received a family that wanted him, no matter his sickliness, or his constant blackouts. Today was the day that they were going to celebrate his life. Today was the day that he became part of something that wanted him, and it made him so happy to know this. His parents may not have wanted him, but this family did, and that was all that mattered. He couldn’t help but yawn, and he found his muscles aching far more than usual during this walk on the rocky road. His vision was blurring, his skin felt cold, alarmingly cold, and his breath came out in little bursts of steam.

After minutes of this, moments of where Labrador wanted to curl up in a ball, hidden in his white mantle and hope his brother came for him, a figure appeared on the road. The figure was hunched, stumbling over loose rocks and holes in the ground, a cane held in a knobby hand. Labrador’s blurry gaze found a pair of black eyes and a smile set in a face of wrinkles.

“Tell me, tea boy,” the voice was that of the man in the tea shoppe, who had remained in his seat even after Labrador had left, “do you have a sibling in another district?”

“... A sibling?”


	2. A Request Declined

### “I’ve never felt so alone in my life as I drank from a cup which was counting my time” - _Bless the Child_ , Nightwish

“A sibling?”

“Yes,” The man nodded his head slowly, as though the small gesture was enough to cause some pain, “A young man who looks just like you, in the Sixth District. A scholar I would say, just as quiet as you, barely says a word, just goes about his job.” Labrador heaved a sigh. Any scholar would be quiet during his job, it didn’t mean much of anything. And it was rumored that everyone had at least one twin out there in the world. “Occasionally too, he doesn’t appear to be all there.” This new information peaked Labrador’s interest. “His eyes get all glassy. It happened when I asked him for help finding a particular book.”

The petite boy felt his heart flutter and it felt as though he couldn’t get enough air. “His eyes were glassy? He wasn’t entirely there?” Did this man who looked like him suffer the same confusing ailment? Labrador wondered if he was sickly as well.

“Not at all, my boy. It was worrisome, but when I asked the other scholars they said he’s been doing it for as long as they could remember.” The older man offered Labrador a wrinkly grin upon noticing the teenager staring blankly at him, adjusting his grip on the staff and began the process of walking back slowly towards town in District Seven. “When I saw you in the tea shop, I had to ask. My sincerest apologies if I’ve bothered you.”

Labrador felt the man stumble around him, taking careful steps back across the uneven pathway, hearing him humming a soft song to himself to make the journey go by quicker. The song became fainter and fainter, and was practically nonexistent when Labrador made his decision. He turned towards the elderly man, just a vague shape in the distance. “Hey! Sir! Where did you say he worked?”

There was no response, and he found himself slumping in his cloak. A man who looked like him, who was a scholar. A man who also spaced out, went glassy eyed in mid-conversation or action. A man who may be related to him.

It was... It was worth looking into.

He moved quickly, disregarding the previous exhaustion he had, and his fear of what hid in the darkest places of the darkness to get home and greet his family with the overwhelming urge he had to travel, to explore, to leave his tiny little house and the tiny little tea shop and the tiny, overly curious people of District Seven. Labrador had been content, almost happy with his small snippet of the world and the expectations placed upon his even smaller sickly form, but now that he knew there was someone out there in this world, on this continent even, with a similar appearance, and similar symptoms...

He could feel his whole world shifting out from underneath his feet, as though being so close to whatever it was that wanted to click into place after all this time. As though everything had always been just slightly off, all his wishes and wants and symptoms were a sign of something else, something much bigger than Labrador had anticipated. And because of this, his heart pounded harder and harder in his chest, and when he finally arrived in the house his parents/siblings resided in, he collapsed in the doorway.

Seconds, minutes, possibly an hour passed before Labrador regained balance and security in his current space. He could hear them in the dining room, sounding worried, sounding concerned, how did they not hear him enter? He called out, “I’m home!” and was greeted by a chorus of “Welcome back!”

This house was quaint, just large enough for the three of them to live and survive happily. There was tiny difficulties with spacing, issues with clothes being mixed up and not having enough room for decent bookshelves, or even enough room for them all to sleep in separate rooms, but they made it work. Lem and Lirin Dreschner acted as parents and siblings in one. While traveling from the Second District, the siblings discovered Labrador amongst the flowers of the long abandoned church and rescued him from oncoming death. They took up the title of parents, raising and caring for him when no one else would, and when the young boy reached a certain maturity, they became siblings, acting only as guardians when the other needed assistance or help in a matter he was confused about.

The kitchen, in reality a small section off to the side of the main room just large enough to heat food up and call it ‘cooking’, had both Uncle Lem and Aunt Lirin dishing up dinner, muttering to themselves over Labrador’s lack of appearance. They bumped into each other with their hips and elbows, trying to offset the other until both were practically falling over one another, laughing. This was the sight that greeted Labrador within.

“Aunt Lirin, Uncle Lem, what are you doing?” Labrador said softly, just barely heard over their laughter. The two siblings turned to face him with bright smiles and happy greetings. The two could have been mistaken for twins if it wasn’t obvious that Aunt Lirin was at least five years younger than her brother. Both wore their pale hair back into low ponytails, their matching bright eyes glittering with their contentment in life. They even wore similar outfits consisting of button up shirts and dress pants. With their gestures, Labrador was ushered into the tiny kitchen where an even tinier cake rested on the counter, decorated with pale icing with small markings in a pink frosting that looked like they were supposed to be letters but appeared nothing like them. “What...?”

Uncle Lem’s arm wrapped around the teenager’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to the crown of Labrador’s head. “Aunt Lirin’s horrible writing,” he had to dodge a smack from his sister, “reads ‘Thank you for being alive’.” Labrador held onto the counter with shaky hands, his breath almost raspy as he fought back the tears. “Glad you’re home, little Lab.”

He sniffled and wrapped an arm around his aunt and uncle, holding onto them tightly. “Thank you, so much.” He felt Aunt Lirin’s long nails card through his hair and Uncle Lem squeeze him just a little harder in reaction. “You both have done so much for me, and I’ll never be able to repay you.” It was Aunt Lirin’s turn to kiss him on the cheek, her bright smile making Labrador feel even more happy and thankful at all they did for him.

“You don’t have to,” her melodic voice chimed, “this is what family does, Labrador. Just be happy and we’ll be so overjoyed to know we succeeded in giving you what you need to live in this world.” Her head was a comforting weight on his shoulder. “Now, shall we light the candles and have some cake?”

“We haven’t even eaten dinner yet,” Uncle Lem laughed. “Let the boy relax some before force feeding him sugar. You know he’s not a fan of sweets.” The two continued to playfully bicker back and forth, and Labrador took the chance to step out of the kitchen into the living room/bedroom and sighed. He sat at the fold up table with the mix-matched chairs, resting his elbows on the surface and debated telling these people his urge to rush to the Sixth District and find this man who is rumored to look just like him. Maybe... maybe it was something to be introduced slowly?

Dinner was plated, and Labrador enjoyed the meal he always found oddly comforting: eye stew. Every time he ate eyefish, he remembered the first day he asked for it from his aunt and uncle, and the incredulous stares they gave him in response. But they allowed him to try it, and it was _his_ meal, something he never turned down even after all these years of eating it on his ‘birthday’. It was a comfort food, it was a dish that was rumored to once had been greatly prized and favored when the Seventh District was heavily populated and visited by people all around the world. It called to that piece of Labrador that felt off, disconnected and out of place. He sipped slowly at the broth left behind, watching the way Uncle Lem played with the floating eyes before carefully scooping one out and eating it carefully. The sight had Labrador smiling widely, thinking that even after all these years Uncle Lem would still consider eyefish something odd and not edible. Aunt Lirin finished her bowl with a small slurp, and the trio sat there at the table with the mix-matched chairs in the too small room that was their house, debating on getting the cake now or waiting a little while longer.

“Aunt, Uncle,” Labrador’s voice came unbidden, and the two looked at him curiously, “I would like to ask for the permission to... to leave here and travel around Barsburg.”

Aunt Lirin stared at him wide eyed, mouth gaping as she searched for words to counter,and her brother deciding to speak for her. “Finally trying to join the military, Lab? I remember you mentioning it offhand a long time ago, but this is quite unexpected.”

He shook his head, remembering dreams of going to the steadily growing military academy in the First District, harnessing his healing zaiphon for something more than the common injuries his uncle and aunt got at work, or helping his boss with her arthritis-ridden joints. He imagined wearing the pristine black uniform and making his aunt and uncle proud with his determination to get the job done. But his sickness, and the ease in which he was overwhelmed by the slightest illness quickly threw that dream out the window, and Labrador never dwelled on it again. “There was a customer in the shop today, a little old man who said there was someone in the Sixth District that looks just like me. Maybe... Maybe this man is right, and I have a brother there. Or what if he was abandoned like me and we both were found and had to adapt? Its...” He placed his head in his hands, feeling his heart spasm in his chest from the over excitement. “And even if he isn’t, there is someone out there who looks like me. Someone I’ve never seen or heard of before. If he’s there, then maybe there’s someone else too. I... I have to know about him. Do you understand?” He asked softly, hearing the wheeze in his breath. “I have to at least meet this man who looks like me. I have to know.”

A glass of water was forced into his hand, and Labrador sipped at the cold liquid gratefully. They knew exactly when he needed to drink something, or needed to take a moment to breathe in order to prevent Labrador from having an attack. He nursed the drink slowly, feeling Aunt Lirin rub his back with her slightly too long nails and her gentle coos. Uncle Lem reached over the table and pat Labrador’s shoulder. “You have to understand our worry, Lab. This is unexpected and unheard of before today. We’re bound to have the instant negative reaction.”

Labrador bit his lip and groaned, resting his head on the table, feeling the sensation of being trapped. His aunt and uncle were going to keep him here. They were saying no. They were going to tell him that they didn’t like this idea and they wanted him to stay in this tiny little house with barely any room, and that they wanted him to continue working at that small tea shop with the regulars and the people who came in to stare and watch him space out and continue to spread rumors of what might or might not be truth. This would be his curse, his livelihood, stuck in this town with these people who didn’t understand the value of secrecy unless it was their own. “Not even a little bit?” He murmured into the table surface.

“A little bit?”

“Of a yes?” The teen turned his blurry gaze to his uncle, knowing that the final yes or no would reside with him, not with his overly emotional and not necessarily logical aunt. “Not even a tiny part of you wants to say yes?” He felt his aunt’s hands almost grip onto him possessively, protectively, daring her big brother to say yes and let their nephew/son/brother out in the world that held so many horrors that could harm him.

However the look Uncle Lem gave Labrador was easily translated, even with his lacking vision. Uncle Lem and Aunt Lirin weren’t too pleased with the idea, and Labrador definitely wasn’t going to be leaving anytime soon. And who knew if that man who looked like himself would still be a scholar, still be working at the only Barsburg library in existence? There were so many factors that could change between then and now and Labrador felt his heart rate increase with the fear of it all. This was his one chance, his one shot, and they weren’t even contemplating it.

He stood from his seat, ignoring the way Aunt Lirin’s hand dragged along his back and arm before resting on the table, and the stare Uncle Lem continued to give as Labrador gathered the dishes and took them to the tiny sink. When Aunt Lirin stood, offering to cut him a slice of cake, Labrador waved it off, saying he wasn’t in the mood and hoped to go to bed soon. He missed the looks of concern shared between his aunt and uncle, and he lost himself in the motions of cleaning. 

It wasn’t until when Labrador was changing for bed that he remembered the crystalline currency his boss had given him, a bonus for his birthday. Between that and the numerous tips he’d accumulated over the duration of his occupation at the tea house. Quite possibly he would have enough to fund his own trip, at least to the library and back. If the trip to see his possible family resulted in a much larger trip duration, then he’d have to come up with a way to gather money without selling his body or attempting something completely immoral. Not to mention he doubted anyone thought his pale complexion and thin form was even remotely attractive, but judging by the stares he’d receive in town now and then, he supposed he wasn’t too unattractive. Maybe just enough to garner unnecessary attention. Enough to maybe be called pretty, if that wasn’t pushing it.

The teen lay on his cot, ignoring the tickle of his slightly too long hair against his cheeks and neck, hand clenched tightly around the yuus. Even if they didn’t approve, he would find this man, and he would most certainly speak to him. Who knew if this man felt the same: misplaced, uncertain, memories and thoughts not making sense but knowing he can trust them, or even the blackouts and the mechanical movements even when his mind wasn’t entirely there? How would he know without speaking to him? It wasn’t like Labrador had his name, or an address to send a letter to, nor was he certain the man looked like him as the old man suggested. There were too many options, too many openings that didn’t make sense but Labrador felt the underlying urge to investigate no matter what. He had to. It was a certainty in his bones.

He awoke before sunrise to Uncle Lem stepping over him as the man finished getting ready for work. Labrador rolled onto his back, being one of those who tended to sleep on his side, and shakily sat up, feeling his hair stick in odd directions, his pajamas wrinkled around his knees and elbows from the shifting and turning he did in his sleep. The yuus remained clasped in his hand, his skin almost forming around it with how tightly he held it, grooves of the crystals practically carved into the palm.

Uncle Lem grabbed his jacket, a requirement at this hour, and turned to Aunt Lirin and Labrador with a bright smile. “Kiss kiss.”

“Kiss kiss,” Aunt Lirin and Labrador responded in kind, waiting for the other to leave the small house before continuing with their morning rituals. Aunt Lirin was finished getting ready by dawn, her smile large and surprisingly bright considering the topic the night before.

She said, “Kiss kiss.”

And Labrador replied: “Kiss kiss.”

The door shut behind her with something quite final, and Labrador was left on his own to get ready for work. He allowed himself to place the money beside the box he kept his savings within and moved about mechanically to get ready. A quick shower - cold, because Uncle Lem tended to take all the warm water and Aunt Lirin took the rest when she could - followed by a quick towel dry and dressing as warm as he could in his almost tattered clothing had Labrador kneeling back beside his money box.

Within held all the money he saved from his job, and the money he got for doing random chores, or when his Aunt and Uncle wanted to surprise him, and give him some extra spending money when he was off work. But every single yuu went into this box, as Labrador tended to not eat but one meal a day, and what was he going to spend money on? Clothes? He had much more important things to worry about, things that might have all been leading up to hearing about this lookalike. He counted the yuus and sighed at the realization that he would have to work at least one more week in the tea shoppe before he could possibly arrive in the Sixth District without too much trouble, accounting for food, which he rarely ate, and a place to stay, assuming he decided to stay in a hotel instead of immediately turning around and returning. And protection, protection would be necessary - his vision went dark.

 _“Relax. I’ll protect everyone.”_ That confident, self-assured voice, filled with swagger, shifted to a different speaker, but one that remained just as recognizable. _”Because. . . it . . . would be a problem if you died. . . more. . . than me. . .”_ The voice faded, and steadily his vision returned to him.

He blinked at the cloak he held in his hands, and spotted his money box was put away. Once again he had been moving and operating without recollection, this time from a memory? A vision? Something that might have once happened but had no purpose in his current life? Labrador was uncertain, but the raspy voice, tinged unmistakably with injury cared for him, some part or aspect of Labrador that once was, to the point he - Labrador was sure it was a male by the sound - was willing to sacrifice himself for Labrador. That was something.

With a deep breath he tugged on his cloak and opened the front door. He glanced back inside, where the cots remained until later, until Aunt Lirin got home and decided what they were going to have for dinner, and whispered, “Kiss kiss.”

No one responded and Labrador left for work, feeling a little bit empty at the lack of a response.


	3. A Meeting

### “All around me are familiar faces, worn out places, worn out faces.” - _Mad World_ , Gary Jules

The sickly teenager felt himself slump into a chair as the last customer of the day left. His boss had retired early, feeling a crick in her rickety bones and was unable to move as easily as she normally could. This left Labrador a bit more busy, a bit more rushed about with fixing up the teas and the snacks. Normally this wasn’t too much of an issue, as Labrador would handle the customers and his boss would make the delicious delicacies with ease. And today that wasn’t possible.

He didn’t even bother locking the door, he just slumped over the table and heaved a sigh. He could feel the muscles relaxing, an ache in his joints that indicated he did much more work than he was used to. And yet he still had to finish cleaning the dishes, count the till, and tally up the sales for when his boss would return in the morning. Labrador wiped at his eyes, groaning. The teenager stood and began making his way through the motions, despite the fact his muscles ached and he still had quite a long walk back home. The door was locked, the plates, silverware, and numerous tea sets were gathered and dutifully cleaned before stacked on drying racks for the morning. From there he swept and mopped the serving area and moved onto counting the yuus for the day.

Labrador didn’t bother glancing at the tip jar, feeling himself yawn heavily with each passing moment. He barely counted through the register and managed to write down the total for his boss to check in the morning when he found himself sitting down, rubbing at his eyes and yawning again. The lack of a breakfast was affecting him more than expected, especially after a long day. He donned his cloak, wobbling slightly at the added weight, and Labrador cursed the fact he was probably getting sick again. It was the only explanation for this offset in his body.

With another exaggerated yawn, that almost popped his jaw, Labrador let himself out of work and locked the door behind him. His feet followed the path he was well versed in, through the town and past the useless gate, onto the road that was far too rocky for any sort of vehicle. As he stepped, his eyes slipped closed. As he walked, his head drooped. As he moved, he felt himself slowly shutting down.

His hand closed around the door handle, and Labrador’s eyes opened in shock. This was certainly his house, certainly the front door. And that was the tiny window by the kitchen covered with a horrible paisley fabric that Aunt Lirin had found and insisted be used as the curtain. He didn’t remember walking all the way, but this was his place. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, blinking at the way the cots were pushed to the side instead of carefully rolled up, and the flurry of activity as his Aunt bustled about the kitchen and Uncle Lem sat on one of the odd chairs, watching his sister amused. “What’s happening?”

The two paused in their activities to turn to him in unison, blinking at his obviously exhausted appearance before rushing at him. Hands grasped at him, lead him into the tiny room and sat him upon the mismatched chair that Uncle Lem called as his own. Vaguely, he could hear their voices as they fussed over him, checking his temperature, his heart rate, trying to gather any sort of reason as to why he was so lethargic. Finally, a cry of “aha!” had Labrador jolting out of his stupor.

Aunt Lirin was rummaging in a pile of miscellaneous items in the corner, items that Uncle Lem had always said to get rid of but each item always had a specific purpose, hence his aunt’s lack of enthusiasm at removing them. The items were things that, had they chosen, they could sell for profit but their value held far more at home then on the market. When she turned, in her hands she had --

Labrador’s breath escaped him in a hiss at the recognized sight, and his arms flailed as he shoved himself away from his Aunt and Uncle. The chair tipped over and he fell back, hitting his back and head hard on the ground, but even the throbbing pain wasn’t enough to keep him from cowering from the ---

_A dead plant - blood from his own hand offered to it, the tendrils sprouting, growing, pressing into the wound, digging, spreading, a screaming pain started in the wound and made its way up his arm and through his body. He couldn’t scream, his mouth open as all the air escaped him. He wrapped his arms around himself, chest heaving as it tugged on the plant embedded in the ground, ripping the flesh of his hand open more, a sickening splatter of blood sounded loud in his ears even with all the pounding. He was dying, the plant was killing him!_

\--- dead flower, dried and carefully cherished in a glass case. Labrador couldn’t handle seeing plants in states of death or decomposition, but this flower was held frozen just as the once beautiful petals were beginning to dry. In matters of tea, this would have been one of the opportune times to pick them, but the stem was obviously dried out, cracking, almost flaking at the awkwardly cut edge. The thorns were numerous and hardened by lack of liquid, making it easy for the handler to cut himself upon them.

And Labrador wanted to be as far away from the piece of dead flora as possible.

He was trapped in a corner, back pressed painfully against the two walls, and he wished with all his might that he could just slip between them somehow and appear on the other side. The container was placed on the ground in front of him, and his aunt approached with her hands open and bare. No cuts, no marks, and the dead flower wasn’t getting any closer. That was all that mattered. Slowly, the ringing in his ears that he hadn’t even noted in his panic calmed, and the soothing voices of his Aunt and Uncle once again reached him.

“--e supposed to let him go if he can’t even handle seeing a flower in a container?” His uncle raged, hands in the air as he gesticulated. “I’m still uncertain how he manages to work in that tea shop when he can’t handle the dead plants out back without nightmares and visions of terror.”

“We agreed, didn’t we?” Aunt Lirin muttered, “We said if we could find this again, then it would be the one thing he _had_ to carry with him while he was gone. You remember what those two said? That we would need to give this to someone special, and that it would help him when he needs it.”

Uncle Lem rolled his eyes with the finesse of a once well-practiced teen. “Bunch of superstitious poppycock.” The two paused and shared a look, one with serious stares that conveyed a meaning or message that Labrador still couldn’t translate after all these years of living with them.

His breath returned, his heart beat calmed, and Labrador rubbed at his arms to try and warm himself, the mantle not doing much for his senses going haywire. “What are you saying?” Labrador rasped.

Aunt Lirin knelt before him, her hands cupping the sides of his face. Her nails scratched lightly at his skin as her thumbs brushed along his cheekbones. “Your uncle and I have agreed to let you go find that man you spoke of, your possible family member.” The warmth that would have bloomed in his chest was less than satisfactory, especially still seeing the dead blossom within arms reach. “On one condition, Labrador. It’s our only condition.” Carefully she turned and took the flower into her hands, ignoring the way the teenager went back to trying to escape the corner he fled to. “You must keep this with you always, you must carry it with you on your search, okay? You don’t ever have to pull it out of your bag, you don’t have to look at it, or acknowledge it is with you, but it would make me feel much better if you have it.”

“But why a flower?” the lavender haired teen hissed, “Why one that is stuck in a state of death? Couldn’t it have been a seed, or a sapling, or something easier for me to handle? You _know_ how much plants scare me.”

His uncle finally joined them on the ground, sitting with his back to the wall beside him. “When you first started working, Lirin and I were visited by a man who looked far too noble to be associating with us common folk. He told us that one day our precious one would want to leave, and at that point he would need support. He gave that to Lirin and told him to keep it safe until the day it was needed.” Uncle Lem scowled. “Lirin remembered it earlier this week, we’ve been looking for it when you’ve been at work, and finally we found it.”

“Please,” his aunt urged, “Just take it with you. It’ll make us feel better, knowing that we gave it to you. Whether it ends up helping you find him or not, just...”

Labrador’s gaze darted back and forth between the two before he hesitantly nodded. “I don’t want to see it, okay? Have it in my bag, wrapped up so it won’t break and I cannot see it. That’s the only way it’s going with me.” An arm wrapped around his shoulders, and his aunt cupped his face once again.

“That’s all we ask, Lab.”

The two helped him count the money he’d saved over the years, and they estimated a good bit could end up being used by travel alone, especially if he focused on using the public transportation, or even rented a hawkzile for use. Labrador decided to walk to the sixth district, considering he worked right there on the edge anyway, and as long as he remained on the path he would more than likely be alright. Assuming he had a way to defend himself from bandits. However, a few more hours of consultation had Labrador agree to ride the weekly coach from the city into the Sixth District, from there he would make his way to the Barsburg Library, where hopefully, this alleged man would still be.

Work days went by much slower, knowing that he was going to have the opportunity to search for this elusive family of his, and possibly find out why he would get these blackouts, or these recollections that didn’t belong to him. His bag, a small backpack that Uncle Lem used when he was a child, was filled to the brim with basic necessities, alongside an overly thick blanket that made it bulge uncomfortably. Labrador didn’t bother to ask where the blossom was, and his Aunt didn’t inform him which pocket she had slipped the charm into, but he knew without a doubt she would have figured out a way to keep it with him.

The day Labrador departed the Seventh District, there was an obscene amount of clouds in the sky, all painted the color of storms. His aunt and uncle walked beside him, his aunt holding his hand tightly, worriedly, and Uncle Lem carried his bag. They watched him purchase his one way ticket to the Sixth District, and walked him to the odd beast that was frequently used for transportation.

Uncle Lem wrapped him in a hug and kissed his forehead before passing him to his aunt, who was obviously fighting off tears when she clung to him and patted his head. Labrador turned to board the coach, stepping inside. “I’ll be home when I have some answers.”

“Take as long as you need,” Aunt Lirin almost blubbered.

He bit his bottom lip and nodded, adjusting the straps that dug into his shoulders painfully. “Kiss kiss?”

The two siblings smiled brightly, “Kiss kiss, Lab.”

* * *

The ride was bumpy, jostling Labrador around on the bench seat with the other passengers within. The group was small, a total of six people including the coach driver, and Labrador felt no urge to communicate with them, and as far as he could tell they felt the same. His eyes peered out around the woman sharing the bench seat to gaze out the small window, watching the scenery as they passed by. Already he felt that stirring, that he was as far away from home as he’d ever been, and yet he kept going further. The carriage would stop for a couple hours every night to allow the beast to rest, during which Labrador found himself on high alert. 

For the most part, the carriage was continuously moving, and on day three they passed the coach heading back towards Seventh. But it was those times that they were stopped on the side of the road that had Labrador twitchy, worried, constantly blacking out with no clue as to what was causing these blanks in his memory. And then there was the voice:

_”Relax. I’ll protect everyone.”_

But Labrador couldn’t relax, as he would tell the voice when it sounded. Whoever it was was certainly protecting whoever was nearby, but he wasn’t with Labrador. He wasn’t able to protect everyone. _How can you protect if you’re not here_ , he asked the voice, cursing when there was no response. As a result, he remained tired, restless, and almost jumpy at unrecognized noises.

Arrival in the Sixth District was preceded by an announcement from the carriage driver, giving the passengers ample amount of time attempting to make themselves look presentable before they entered the city containing the only true library of Barsburg. Labrador waited for everyone else to exit the carriage first before he stretched his legs and stepped outside, pulling on his mantle and tugging the bag over his shoulders once again.

After peering at a couple signs, and asking even fewer people for directions, Labrador stood at the entrance of the library, biting at his lips in nervousness. He could feel the curious stares of people walking by, and after a period of time he stepped inside. Stacks of books and parchment and papers were everywhere, with desks, tables and chairs available for use. There were older gentlemen, garbed in worn white robes wandering around, carrying books or discussing the contents of a text.

He took a deep breath and smelled that odor that one attributed to old books, managing to enjoy it for a bit before he sneezed. Blushing, he raised his mantle and held it over his lower face. Labrador should have known his “arch enemy” would be in abundance at a library.

Stupid dust allergy.

* * *

The silver haired scholar’s eyes raked over his careful scrawl on the thick sheets of parchment. Stacks of finished work were piled neatly beside him. He’d almost gotten through the book he’d been rewriting. As he wrote he’d taken in as much of the information as he could. However, as he read he noticed that things appeared off. Information that seemed to be omitted. What exactly was missing? He wasn’t sure... perhaps nothing was. It just didn’t seem to flow like it should. As if someone had taken out pages deliberately to hide something. No... not just pages. Chapters... Maybe even, as crazy as this sounded, volumes! 

Of course this was all just speculation... what did he actually know? 

He set down the feathered instrument for now, needing to get up and move and of course do his other tasks for the day. Organizing the books and cleaning among other things that were simply required when you worked in a place like this. It wasn’t all just copying book after book unfortunately. 

Ayanami stretched almost cat like in his chair hearing the satisfying pops in his back and shoulders. Long hours of sitting and working were prefered but it made his body stiff. And he really didn’t need anymore pains in that area. The bad eyes, fevers. and weak respiratory system were more than enough for him to deal with. 

“Nami-kun...?” 

With an irritated roll of the shoulders he glanced back at the confused scholar. “Hmm?”

“I could have sworn I saw you downstairs just moments ago...” 

Pale brows furrowed a bit and he held his tongue about these old men become senile. “I’ve been up here the whole time.” Working as always. “I was about to do my chores though...” he stopped for it seemed like the elderly man wasn’t interested anymore. Simply shaking his head and shuffling away. A slight mutter about his own bad vision came from his withering lips and that was it. This sort of thing wasn’t uncommon. For them to speak to him and then just walk away when he was answering their questions. This was especially common with the ones that disliked him so much. 

That unpleasantness aside, how did that elderly man mistake someone else for him downstairs? He was one of a kind, wasn’t he? The cursed pale child who was so terribly unlucky. A bad omen... 

Perhaps the old man was just seeing things... After all. What were the chances of another kind of person like him entering this library? 

The silver haired young man pushed his chair back and stood slowly. Chores... No point in delaying them any further. He might as well get dusting out of the way first. It was his least favorite chore. With his sick body being the way it was he tried to get it over and done with as quickly as possible. 

So without further dilly dallying he made his way to the supply closet to get a feather duster, while he debated what to clean today. He usually dwelled within the history sections they had. Trying to read while he was cleaning or just reading. The older scholars had gotten wise to those sorts of things so he needed to clean a few different places for a while before going back to his usual place. But what to do today? 

His footsteps were soft as he made his way down the wooden steps and onto the main floor. He grabbed fistfuls of his white scholar robes and pulled them up a bit so he didn’t stumble on them on his descent. Doing that once was more than enough for him. Hitting the last few steps he finally picked a place to clean. Maneuvering himself through the massive shelves and piles of books he found himself in the nature section. Books about the different trees and flowers that were and had been. This particular section had grown some since the fall of the military and church. Many places and things had become abandoned and new flowers had become wild and blossomed all over. So people wrote about them and other things that were changing in the world since its decline. While humanity began to fizzle away and suffer, nature thrived. It was funny how these things worked out, he supposed. Sometimes he had to wonder if the decline of everything was for the best... If the world becomes troubled it finds a way to fix itself. Perhaps those ‘terrifying’ Blackhawks were really saviours in the long run. Protecting a world that couldn’t protect itself. More silly speculation, of course... But it was nice to think of those beings as something other than evil monsters. 

No one really knew why things had happened the way they did. His idea was speculation just like everyone else’s. Especially since books about those terrible beings didn’t exist. Their name lingered in people’s memories with only a faint story lacking any actual proof. Who knew if they were really bad. Anything could be misconstrued over time.

Ayanami pushed over a step stool, with his cloth boot, towards the shelf he planned on taking care of first. This section was overdo for a good dusting... Sometimes he suspected he was the only one who did this. That actually a _very_ safe assumption. So when he cleaned nothing but the history section... 

Well... he was cleaning this section now. 

He placed the long sleeve over his mouth and began wiping down he books with his feathered tool, knocking dust bunnies and just dust in general onto the floor and into the air. He closed his eyes tightly protecting them from the chaos he was causing. Yes... he truly hated dusting. 

The sound of someone coughing caught his attention and he ceased his actions at once, peering through the dusty mess that he’d pushed into the air. Someone was below him and he’d just bombarded them with a year... or two... possibly three years of dust and dirt. Great. 

Ayanami waved his arms using the long baggy sleeves to knock away or, in this unintentional case, swirl the dust around in his face. This was a disaster... An absolute disaster. The coughing from the one below him didn’t seem to be letting up and he quite possibly needed to come down and help this poor person he was accidentally killing. 

Coughing a bit himself he hopped down the steps on the stool, almost tripping and smashing himself face first into the other bookshelf in his haste. Minor crisis averted he focused on the much larger problem. He gripped the arm of the individual he’d just about smothered to death with dust and pulled him out of the nasty cloud into slightly more breathable air. 

“Sorry about that...” he murmured attempting to remove the clumps of dust from the other figuring that would help. What didn’t help was his next decision. The young scholar chose to pat it off with his hands, which turned out to be another terrible idea as it just made a new cloud of dust raise up. 

This was stupid, so he decided. 

He flailed a bit thoroughly annoyed with this entire situation. It was unacceptable the way these things were happening. How long had he been dusting shelves? Never once had an incident quite this obnoxious taken place. He was always such a dutiful little scholar and careful! Who was this fool anyway? Who just walks by while someone is dusting? What did they think was going to happen? 

Yes. It was _obviously_ this person’s fault. 

There was a name... a name on the tip of his tongue. A name that he would normally blame all these irritating troubles on. One of those distant memories... but not memories. Visions without any pictures and colors. And audio that only came in bits and pieces... 

Whatever that name was... whoever it was was someone who would remain lost for quite a bit longer. Ayanami couldn’t focus on those mysteries right this moment. There was something about this person that required his attention. Now that the dust had settled, quite literally, he noticed something about this person. Violet eyes narrowed a bit and he reached out, without thinking to grab onto the pale hair that was so curiously like his own. He tugged on it, a bit roughly, to see if it was in fact real.

“What is this?” It seemed real enough. Did the dust do something to make its color odd? Well... that didn’t make a great deal of sense. Perhaps it was colored by some odd kind of chemical. He tugged harder just to make sure that this was actually real hair... and it certainly seemed to be. “Why is your hair like this?” he finally demanded feeling rather annoyed for reasons he couldn’t quite place... almost a jealous like quality stirred within. It wasn’t pity that another pale child had to and had suffered as he had. No nothing like that. His silver hair was special and he’d never seen it on anyone else before. Of course he’d never seen many people to begin with, but that’s neither here nor there. It was the fact that someone had something that he considered his own.

It was a deep rippling sort of feeling. Almost as if it didn’t belong to him at all. Thankfully it settled before he really had time to process it. Realizing that he may be hurting this other boy he slowly released his grip, letting his hands fall back at his side and he settled for glowering at the other waiting for his questions to be answered, even if they were odd... 

Labrador whined, his hands reaching up to cover his head and hopefully cause the other to remove his hand from his hair. The tugging was insistent, and painful, however it was managing to distract him from the itching in his nose from all the dust. “Wh-what? My hair has always been like this!” He relaxed as his hair was released, allowing Labrador to turn and get a good look at the man who had practically assaulted him.

Taller but just as pale, his hair almost the exact same shade of silver, the light coloring was definitely emphasized by the dark scholar robes. It was when Labrador met his gaze that he knew this had to be the male the old man was talking about before, the one who looked like he could be related to him. 

Ayanami’s eyes narrowed even more as he really got a good look at this boy. If only for a moment it was like he was looking into some kind of mirror. He shook his head a bit brushing the dust off of himself. “Well. Is that so?” Clearly it was. But what else could he say? An apology perhaps, but that wasn’t going to happen. The young scholar simply stuck his nose up in the air a bit, feigning a sense of nobility he simply shouldn’t have due to his life and circumstances and began to turn away. “Don’t walk under shelves when people are dusting. That’s how things like this happen.” Yes. Because, again, it was this person’s fault. Precious time wasted in this whole ordeal. 

Ayanami walked back over to his stool and dropped feather duster, the air clearer now that the dust had settled. Onto the lower shelves... those would also have to be cleaned as well. He hated dusting... The scholar picked his tool back up and began smacking the lower shelves causing puffs of dust to fly back up into the air once again but not in the access they had been before.

Labrador watched the other’s actions with a sort of dumbfounded stare. Had it really been this simple? The first person he truly interacts with is the one he had been searching for this entire time? He sputtered slightly, affronted at the other’s assumption. “It hadn’t been my intention to walk right underneath you while you were dusting,” he stated, voice surprisingly not cracking at the nerves and pressure in his chest. “I didn’t even see you up there. Maybe you should close off the aisle or something when you’re dusting...” Labrador’s voice faded, catching himself becoming sidetracked. “Never mind.”

He stepped back from the other, wanting to observe him more, wanting to say something, to ask him questions, to know if he was anything remotely like himself. But his stomach was caught in his throat, and any time he opened his mouth no sound came out.

Ayanami had a retort ready for the visitor of his library but he’d been told, more than once, not to be rude to the guests. And since he’d covered this one in dust it was probably better just to hold his tongue. That didn’t stop him from huffing and puffing a bit, eyeing the other with great distaste as he continued his cleaning. Was this boy really just going to watch him the whole time? He hated it when people watched him work. Leering over his desk smelling of candy and... 

And...

Ayanami blinked almost dropping his duster again as he attempted to pieces of information he shouldn’t have. What was he thinking about exactly? Where had those images come from? 

Keeping composure was his main priority, he’d already made himself look like a bit of a fool. But it was so difficult when those episodes came up. The names and faces just out of reach and sight. Who? Who was at his desk? Always bothering and rearranging things. Making such a mess of everything. 

Despite himself he dropped the feathery tool to the ground once again and placed his hands over his face. These damn visions that didn’t make any sense. That only seemed to exist to torment and make his whole life so much more difficult than it had to be!

The duster fell to the ground, Labrador had small seconds of noticing the blank stare, the uncertainty in the motions as the other hid his face behind his hands. They were the symptoms of a vision, at least those that Labrador has been told about through his aunt and uncle’s observation, one’s that he worked his hardest on hiding from the customers. “You... you hear and remember things that never happened too?” He asked in a whisper, voice cracking. “You know these people, these things, but you can’t figure out who they are or where you would have encountered them, right? They haunt you, appearing and disappearing without any cause or explanation, yes?”

He pressed his hands against his own chest, where he felt the pain, the helplessness that always seemed to hit after a blank moment, an instance of no vision whatsoever, just never ending darkness. “I... I get them too. It’s why I came here.” Labrador admitted softly. “A man told me about you, that you too have these symptoms, these blackouts, and I thought that maybe...”

“You thought what?” the scholar peeked through his fingers bringing himself back to the real world and processing all that had been said. An old man had come to this other boy? Who comes running after another at something like that? A stranger too... he’d never do it. Not for anyone. “What exactly did you think?” 

Ayanami wasn’t in the mood for this, he slowly lowered his hands back to his sides tossing the other the most unimpressed stare in his arsenal. “You think these blackouts and loss of consciousness makes us special?” he scoffed at the other. “It makes us sad and pathetic. It is a weakness. They aren’t clues to some great existence. It’s a disorder. A sickness...” he shook his head. “Congratulations. You found another sick person.” Ayanami turned on his heel, his white robes coated in dust fluttering about him in his movements. “I do hope you’re proud of yourself. I hope you weren’t a complete fool and came from some faraway place... If you are like me, as you say, then you should have never left your home. It’s dangerous out there.” There were some birds that were meant to always be in cages. Just like the elder scholars always told him. 

Never leave... or death would certainly find him. 

A confusing thing to always tell him as they were the ones that seemed to detest him so. Wouldn’t they want him to venture out and fall off something or in something? Well... whatever their reason was they were correct. He would die out there. And so would this boy if he ran about looking for other sick mistakes like themselves. There wasn’t really a place for them in this world. The words and images from another time and place confirmed that. 

Maybe... beings fallen from the sky. Another world. Like in the books and stories. But even if that was true, unlikely, but if... there was nothing to figure out or find. This simply was what it was. And no one could change their destiny. So why bother trying? 

Labrador cringed at the words that the other practically spat. Those words weren’t exactly what he had hoped to hear, but they weren’t as horrible as it could have been. He buried his face in the mantle, hiding a few more sneezes within the folds, and nodded. “I... It is a sickness, it’s plagued me for years. But I had hoped that with another person, it would show it wasn’t just chance or some spontaneous illness.” He backed up further stepping outside of the aisle and gave a small, brief bow. “I’m sorry for disturbing you.” He tucked some hair behind and ear and breathed carefully through the fabric of the mantle. He’d head to the hotel and regroup there. His blurry vision was made worse with the itchiness of the dust, and the tears that wanted to build. So easily disappointed, but he wouldn’t give up that quickly. He turned and looked around for the exit of the library, eager to escape the dust trap before it became his death.

The words came unbidden, unexpected, slipping out without any mental queue. “I want you to live your life as a human.” He shot the other a saddened smile, and moved towards the exit, wondering where the words had come from, and why he had to say them right then and there.

Whatever the reason they had a profound affect on the scholar, his entire becoming rigid and frozen for a moment. Flower petals like snow and a girl. A precious girl. But these memories were different. Not his own. Memories of another person’s memories... 

Ayanami spun around and for a moment a different scene was before him. Another person, this person this teen, dressed in white with silver decor. A large robed skeletal statue to the left. His clothing felt heavy and a thin piece of white netting fell into his eyes now and then. Roots and flowers had torn up the ground around them. It was a mess but he couldn’t do anything but focus on the person before him. 

“Because what I truly desire...” he held out his hands, not sure where the words were coming from. But they were familiar to him in a way. “I won’t hold in my hands again...” 

And just like that, this other world he found himself staring into, shattered like glass around him and once more he was in the library. The dusty and dim world he’d always known.. And the boy before him was just a boy. Not an angel or whatever heavenly being he seemed to be in that other plane. 

Too many people who didn’t have clear faces. Too many words without voices and names. Who were they? But one... one face in all of that shined out so clearly. That girl he’d just seen. But... There was no desperate need to learn who she was like there was for those other people. That longing was something else. As if it belonged to someone else almost. 

The situation was becoming so twisted and confusing it was starting to physically hurt. He lowered his arms swallowing his pride because there seemed to be more to this than he wanted to believe. 

“Who are you?” Those words that had been spoken he knew so well. They haunted him and lingered in his mind all the time. Something he believed would always be a mystery. Perhaps that would not be so now... “How do you know those words?” 

“My name is Labrador Dreschner, and I’ve lived in the Seventh District for as long as I can remember. I don’t know how I know those words,” the tea shoppe worker admitted. “I just said them, because it felt right, because it came on their own, like the visions do. Everything happens on its own, unasked for, unbidden, and I do not have any explanation for it. I have blackouts, vague memories of people and words and faces that I cannot explain. And then a customer tells me that there’s another like me.” He shrugged. “I couldn’t help but be curious. And now, apparently some of our peculiarities overlap, more than just looks or symptoms of this illness, but phrases too. That has to mean something, right?”

Maybe he was being just a little more than optimistic, but the other had already shoved him away once, what would be a couple shoves? It would just be another interpretation of what his hometown more or less did. Certainly, it would already hurt more, knowing that another who suffered the same thing turned him away, but Labrador liked to think he hadn’t survived all the stares and judgemental looks if he didn’t have thick skin.

“My name is Ayanami Furst, a scholar here, obviously.” he bowed his head some as he introduced himself, wetting his lips while his face was out of sight. This was all too much. The most he’d ever been uncertain about was what section of the library to dust or what book to read. “Perhaps you are correct. Perhaps there is something more to all of this.” And that confession tasted as bitter as he thought it would. “But what difference does it make? So the verses in our visions and dreams are the same? What can we do about it? What can we find out? Do you think I haven’t searched and read every book in this library trying to find out something about myself? There is nothing... there is nothing to find out. Nothing to learn or seek out. I have long since given up my dreams of being a prince in some faraway land made of snow and dreams. Such things do not exist and I am not a child anymore.” 

“What difference does it make?” Labrador repeated, somehow withholding a series of sneezes. “It means that this isn’t random, that we aren’t just some random people who have the same illness. Wouldn’t it make sense for us to have different phrases, different symptoms overall if it was just random? But no, we have similar symptoms, similar phrases, even similar looks, Furst. I’m fairly certain...”

Labrador twitched with the urge to pace, to walk these aisles and let loose all this built up excitement from the other’s small agreement. “Were you abandoned as well, Furst? I was left at the Barsburg Church ruins. If you too were abandoned, then its more than just coincidence; it means there’s something else happening.” His hands shook, and he could feel the tightness in his chest starting. Soon enough he’d probably start wheezing. “I’ve been hearing these voices for as long as I can remember, sensations of things that I should know but I’ve never encountered before, cravings for foods I’ve never eaten before. And then there are moments, when I can feel them, where I can close my eyes and it is like whoever it is, they’re right there with me.”

Ayanami closed his eyes tight not wanting to admit such things. Those people that felt important to him but were nameless and unimaginable. He felt them leaning over his shoulder as he worked. Adjusting something that did not exist on his person. So important... so precious... but unknown. 

In defence the slightly older silver haired teen folded his arms over his chest, as if making a barrier between himself and these unwanted facts and truths. His fingers curled into the fabric all the same. He couldn’t help what he was feeling. This stunk of hope. A chance to do something only it was something he could not have. Denying everything seemed like the right thing to do. And yet...

“I was...” he admitted opening his eyes slightly. He hadn’t been that young at the time. But then again he hadn’t been that old either. He remembered faint things. Little things. Like being held on that cold winter’s night. Soft words that were clouded in his memory. The scent of something familiar. Tea and... 

“But... these things don’t change anything. What do these similarities prove? What exactly will you do with this knowledge?” His silver brow furrowed, attempting to make the best and most important points. “Do you intend to find the ones that left us? The solutions to these dreams? Where? How? With what exactly? We’re not fit to travel or do anything. There are homes and places that need us. This is where we belong. Not that it’s the best. But it is something. I assure you, if I was able I’d be far away from this place.” In the military. On a hawkzile. Serving this country. Not here. Digging up dust from a past long since forgotten in most people’s eyes. 

Labrador shifted, his unease showing on his face. “I... I honestly hadn’t thought that far. I figured it would come together on its own, as this came to me, but...” He scratched at his head, a small pout fixing itself on his mouth. “If there’s two of us, there’s bound to be more of us. I made it this far, certainly I could travel a bit more.” He was even willing to travel more, to find these other people who _had_ to exist somewhere. “And if I can find the speakers of the voices, the ones that haunt me, then maybe...” He shook his head. “I don’t know, Furst, I really don’t. I hadn’t planned anything beyond finding you.”

Ayanami scoffed at the other. “No. This plan is absolutely-” 

“Just laying out there dead.” a voice clear in the near proximity said.

“About time. One bad omen is enough but two? Coming at the same time and everything all those years ago.. Perhaps that means the other will follow shortly.” 

“Someone should kick the carcass out into the street. Get rid of it quickly.” 

“No one will touch that vile thing.” 

_Bad omens..._

The young scholar had paused mid sentence to take in the passing conversation. His mind absolutely racing. Obviously they were talking about him but... 

“Oh no...” No. Not yet. It’s too soon. Too soon for goodbyes. Especially when they hadn’t been said yet. He darted forward, brushing against Labrador as he did ignoring the squeak at their sudden brush of contact and the call that followed after him.. The other boy, as far as he was concerned, was forgotten right now. Ayanami ran as fast as he could through the rows of book, never having sprinted for anything in his life until now. 

It’s not true. It’s impossible. He had to keep telling himself that. Not yet... Just. Not yet. If there was a King. Or... God. Chief. Whatever! If there was anyone they’d give him more time. That bird was his only friend... it was all he had in this place. His whole life that bird had been there no matter the weather or the season. Rain or shine he’d always see the black feathery companion perched by his window.

Stumbling on the wooden stairs only slightly he raced up them as fast as he was possible wheezing terribly at this point but he couldn’t slow or stop. There. There was the window. He’d be there. He was always there he’d-

Ayanami just about threw himself at the open window, peering at the ground and knowing those horrible old men would be wrong. 

They, of course, were not... he could see the mound of unmoving black feathers on the ground even without his glasses on. He felt himself crumple against the wall in grief and exhaustion. 

So... that was that. Trapped in a cage without a friend in the world. 

Was it a coincidence that on this day of all days someone came to offer him something else? Something uncertain and unknown and clearly not well thought out but... 

His hawk and he had been here together since the very first day he arrived. Perhaps this should be their last day too. It was all some horrible sign that it was time to leave this cage of stone and books. Wherever it led... even death. 

With slightly shaky hands he pushed himself up, standing tall. No tears. No weakness. He would be strong in the only ways he was capable of. And perhaps if he left he’d solve more mysteries than his own. He’d find about what caused the world to become in such a state. Write a book of his own maybe. Find the secrets to these horrible Blackhawks that had always fascinated him.. There really was a world of opportunity out there while nothing remained for him here... 

Heavier footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs, Labrador had followed as fast as he was able, panting up the stairs, clinging to one of the banisters as his heart pounded almost out of his chest and the wheezing began. His vision blurred more, but he could tell Furst was at the window. The younger stumbled over, leaning against the wall now, his chest heaving as he focused on breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth. “Furst? Is... is everything okay?” Labrador wanted to drop to the ground, where at least he knew nothing would move out from beneath himself, where he could regain his bearings and let his body settle from the unexpected physical exertion. Maybe running wasn’t such a good idea, but he had been overcome by such worry for the other, unexpected and unnecessary worry...

He could still feel the wheezing, the way his frame shook with every breath, but he wasn’t going to regret going against the constant worries and reminders his aunt and uncle had instilled in him. Labrador ran after Furst for a good reason, his body would just have to get over it. And it would, eventually. He let his head fall back, wincing at the solid sound of a thunk it made against the wall. Other than finding Furst, nothing was going as planned, but there was nothing else planned. He was playing by ear, and the tune was vague if not completely muted.

It took a moment Ayanami to take in the words being said to him. Was he alright? No... No he wasn’t. But no one but him needed to know that. He eyed the other as he turned away from the window and the sight that was rotting on the ground outside. “Fine...” He raised a hand to brush a few stray silver hairs out of his eyes. Composure in spite of everything. It was his only strength and he would need it if he was serious about this journey. “I’ve had a change of heart. I’ll accompany you on this...” he waved a hand not quite sure what it should be called. “...venture.” 

Wherever they went and however long it took he did certainly hope that he... well, they, found the answers that continued to elude them all these years. 


	4. The Stone Cage

### On silver wings spread out to the sun I'm leaving this city for the skies above.” - _The Skies Above_ , The Black Mages

There was only one person in this whole church that he could inform about his departure. The others would laugh and mock or do whatever else it was they did. But the one who found him on that cold winters day and taught him how to read and write. That man, he would need to know. 

Trudging up to the not often ventured third floor he sought out the man who saved his life so many years ago. “Miroku-sama?” He peeked through a doorway seeing said man looking out the large open window, his back towards the young scholar.. 

“Ayanami-kun.” The voice was old and raspy but the head of this library had many long years ahead of him. This the young man knew for certain. Unlike the other scholars in this place Ayanami had a heavy level of respect for this person. 

“I am sorry to bother you.” The young silver haired man stepped in and bowed his head respectfully despite the fact  that Miroku wasn’t even looking at him. He cleared his throat attempting to figure out how to begin. But he didn’t need to.

“That time has come, hasn’t it?” The elder man turned to look at the youngest scholar in the library. 

“Time?” silver brows furrowed. 

“For you to leave us.” 

Violet eyes blinked taken aback by the elder man’s knowledge, Miroku never ceased to surprise him sometimes. “Yes... There is th-” 

“There is no need for you to explain yourself to me. I knew this day would come. A girl came to me one day. A few years after I’d found you. She looked like a princess, far too noble and angelic for this world. But she told me that you would have to leave us one day. And when that time came I was to give you this.” The gentle chime of metal rattling against other pieces was heard as the elder man held out a chain full of metal pieces hanging from it.

It was like in a story... the stories he read over and over again in the library. Blue fairies bringing toys to life and bringing word that some orphan brat was a prince in disguise. He swallowed and stepped forward taking the offered object. At first he thought it was a necklace of some kind and in a way it was. It was a strong chain, but old, he could tell. Attached to it were several almost rectangular pieces of metal, rounded at the far sides. He’d seen pictures of items like this.. 

“Dog tags...” he murmured softly. But there were too many here. A soldier should only have two. There were... seven. Seven tags here. The names were impossible to read. He peered as hard as he was able but they were too faded and worn from time. Out of curiosity he flipped one over and his heart almost stopped. 

The seal of Barsburg!  It was faded but still clear enough to decipher.  And what was beside the seal... A hawk. It had to be. It’s wings were open and its talons were facing out, ready to attack and kill. Words so tiny and hardly readable still existed. 

Blackhawks. 

He could feel his heart beating so fast he was certain it might just stop from overuse. “Dog tags of a Blackhawk! You’ve had these?!” 

“I was told to give those to you when it was time for you to leave this place. And it seems that time has come.” 

The young scholar held the tags close to his chest and nodded. So... this was all predetermined? Destiny of some kind. He was meant to meet that Labrador boy. They were meant to solve what was going on in their visions. To find the people who spoke and whispered in their dreams. He had a purpose in this world. He wasn’t meant to rewrite books all day. 

“You don’t have much to your name, do you Ayanami-kun?” 

He felt his heart sink some. “Just... the robes I’m wearing. But those belong to the library, I suppose.” As did his quills and blankets and just about everything. He owned absolutely nothing.

“As you are the best scholar I’ve ever had I feel some exceptions can be made with your departure.” The elderly man walked over to his cupboard and pulled out a rather large box. “A few things you may need on your journey.” 

The box was placed on the wooden desk and Ayanami slowly made his way towards it to see what was inside. It seemed to be clothes... He reached in with a free hand and pulled out a rather heavy feeling cloak. Black as night but it would be warm and suitable for wherever he was going. And slightly more suitable for traveling shoes as well as a few more things one simply needed for kind of journey he’d be taking. “Thank you. It seems like too much.”

“One more thing.” 

One more? He looked up as the large book on the desk was handed to him. “I gave you the bible to rewrite to peek your interest. It seems to have worked. You haven’t completely finished with it, have you?” Ayanami shook his head some. He still had about a week left of work. “I figured as much. Which is why I rewrote it after meeting with that girl so it would be ready for you when it was time. I think it’ll hold importance of some kind.”   

“Thank you Miroku-sama...”  He flipped it open seeing Miroku’s neat and tidy handwriting. Familiar paragraphs he’d written days earlier. 

“There is no money that can be given but grab enough food from the kitchen to get you going.” 

Ayanami bowed his head at the other man, clutching at all these gifts he’d been given. “Thank you, Miroku-sama.” He truly appreciated it. More than anything. 

“Whatever your purpose in this world is, you are sure to find it. You were the best scholar I’ve ever had.” 

The words warmed his icy heart. He’d never been praised like that before. Nor had anyone believe in him. Miroku had taken great care of him. So yes, whatever he was to do. Whatever was required of him. He would see it done. 

With one last soft thank you he hurried back to his tiny room back on the second floor. He disregarded the white scholar robes he’d been wearing his whole life and instead put on the new garments he’d been given. Something dark and warm. Something to travel in. It felt like being a completely different person in such a dark color. Something so contradictory to his own complexion. It also felt right. And...

He held the metal dog tags to his chest.  The Blackhawks . He held the last remnants of their existence in his hand. They were somehow important to his life, that’s why the mysterious woman had given these to Miroku, right? He’d find out everything he could. There were answers in this big world that weren’t in books. And he’d find them all.

Putting the chain of tags around his neck and tucking them safely underneath the robes he grabbed his new possessions and hurried downstairs. Almost ready to go the young silver haired man stocked up with food that would last a few days. Nerves made his hands shake a bit and he almost dropped more than one roll in his haste. 

Eventually it was time.

It was a big step. A terrifying step. Holding the bible and his sack of food and other items he’d been gifted tightly to his chest he stared wide eyed at the large wooden doors. He never even peeked out of them when cleaning. True he looked outside the window with his hawk but he never really had any grand thoughts of stepping outside. He took a deep breath not terribly sure where that other boy was. Labrador right? Well, whatever his name was he should be around here somewhere. Perhaps outside and out of this dusty place. He seemed to be struggling with it, though the dust dumping didn’t help any.  Not that it was his fault it happened.

With a deep breath and feigning the courage of a soldier he pushed open the heavy wooden doors. The light was bright in comparison to the dim library. He’d only seen it from his window. Felt the sun from his desk and room. And now... 

He peered through it all and took his first steps out of his library. The ground was still stone beneath him but it was different. So very different. Everything from the air to the lighting was different. And while where to go from here was completely uncertain and mysterious it really wasn’t all that frightening. 

For the first time in his whole life he was allowed to fly out of his cage. 

Ayanami pulled up his hood a bit, keeping the cruel sun off his face, he wasn’t used to it yet and starting off this journey by burning his flesh off was not the wisest thing to do. This may be his first time out but that didn’t mean he was uneducated. He spent his days reading after all. 

Now. To find that boy he was supposed to be traveling with. Certainly the other would not have left without him.  He looked from left to right, a bit uncertain and honestly a bit uneasy. He’d never been out before after all, being alone wasn’t ideal. 

Ayanami glanced back up at the church. His room should be... He counted the windows finding his own so that meant....

Departing from the stone road his feet hit the grass instead. Yes. Right below his window should be...

His departed friend. 

He wasn’t terribly sure what to do with the dead bird. He couldn’t take it with nor bury it, there wasn’t the time nor did he have a place to do such a thing. But it did feel wrong to leave it here and let nature do what it must do. The young scholar could only let out a soft sigh. Even after all the books he’d read in his time here, there were some things that couldn’t be taught or explained. Little life things... 

He could only say a soft goodbye and bow his head wishing the best in whatever came after death for his feathery friend. His only friend. 

What did happen when you died? Where did you go...? 

“ It’s a big field! A flower field where the white petals swirl around like snow on a crisp winter’s day. It’s beautiful. And right outside a big forest! A kinda scary very confusing forest .” A soft giggle could be heard. “ And it’s all watched over by this skeletal being. Kinda handsome. Very broody. But I think. His heart is good. ” 

Ayanami turned around slowly to see who was speaking. That girl. The only person with a clear face in his visions.But she was almost transparent. Not real. If he reached out to her his fingers would just slide through her. 

Who was she? 

“ He leads them to the other side where you get to be reborn. Death is scary for all creatures .” 

She was talking to him though. This much was certain. “Who does...?” he swallowed thickly after answering. Would she talk back? Or was she just an image. This was all some kind of vision? 

The girl closed her eyes, her clothing and hair fluttering as the breeze of this world went by.  She was affected by the elements? So this wasn’t a vision.

“ Who? ” she repeated a bit solemnly before smiling brightly at Ayanami. She held out her arms and her eyes lit up. “ Why, Ve- ” 

“Furst!” 

At the sound of that other boy’s voice she was gone. She faded away like dust in a heavy breeze. The answer to his question left unanswered. There was too much to missing from the bible he’d been writing to determine if what had been said was true or not. If she was just some delusion of his mind or... 

He finally turned around to see the one he would now be traveling with. He didn’t bother asking if the other had seen the girl. Nor was he upset that she had faded at the calling. It was probably all in his head. Such things usually were. He gave hi fallen feathery friend no more thought and closed the distance to the other boy. “My apologies for the delay in preparing to leave.” He would not elaborate. There was no need to explain that he had nothing of his own accept what had just been given not minutes ago. “I don’t have any money. I was supposed to work my whole life in that place. Money never mattered. But I do have some food to last us for a few days.” Truthfully he was likely to be more burdensome on this trip if anything. Two sick young adults wandering the world with little to their names and wandering aimlessly. 

Brilliant.

The chance of survival seemed ridiculously low. One way or another they were probably going to die before this was all over. 

“If that’s alright with you, we can get going. There is nothing left for me to do here.” It was finally time to fly free of this stone cage. 

Labrador nodded, working on removing the dust from his mantle and hair, nose scrunching up slightly. “I have a hotel room we can stay in tonight. There’s also bound to be a carriage leaving town tomorrow to another district, if you think the sixth won’t hold anything else for us to find...?” Surely what money he had could get them a ride over, as well as a room in a town they decided to stop in, but it wouldn’t last for too long. He took a deep breath and donned the mantle once again, grabbing at the bag resting at his feet, and gestured vaguely. “We could check the transportation schedule before we make any final decisions and we return to the hotel for the night.” He pulled the bag over one of his shoulders.

“I don’t know what’s in the sixth district,” the scholar admitted, stepping forward to remove a rather large dust bunny from the other’s silver hair and letting it fall to the ground.. It was kind of his fault that those were there... “I’ve never stepped outside until today. And I’ve never bothered with what people said. I don’t know what would be here any more than you.”

“Then we’re about the same on that,” Labrador mused. “We’d probably benefit from finding a place where we can buy a map of some sort, as well as figure out where we want to head next and plan from there. Any planning at this point is bound to be better than nothing at all.” His eyes searched the area around them, inwardly proud of how he had at least a vague idea of what to do next. Where was one of those visions or moments of blank motions now, to help make a decision? Being indecisive wouldn’t help him or Furst now, especially when they’ve already agreed to search and find answers. “It would only make sense that a bookstore of some sort would be nearby, considering not everyone reads in a library. . . right?”

Ayanami wrinkled his nose at this. “What exactly will a bookstore have in knowledge that I do not?” 

“I was hoping to find a map at the store,” Labrador admitted. “I’m uncertain where else we could find one, even if it is barely decorated with terrain or the like. Anything would help I think.” 

“Do you not know what the world looks like?” The scholar scoffed. Even he knew that. “Do you at least know there are seven districts?” Well there are.” He traced the air with his finger making an almost circle like shape. “The first district is in the center. It’s where the Barsburg Empire used to be. And then to the lower right is the second district. And it goes in a clocklike formation.” The silver haired scholar tapped the air of his air map that only he could see. “Three. Four. Five. Six. Six is the biggest. And then the Seventh District, where the remnants of an ancient church remain.” He offered the other boy a shrug. “But if you feel you need to waste money on a map. By all means.”  

Labrador found himself pursing his lips together, “Yes, I figured there would be seven districts, as I lived in the Seventh until just earlier this week.” He crossed his arms and fought the urge to sigh. “I meant for terrain. I really doubt we’re going to have the funds to always have a ride to each district or town, but--” he shrugged, “I guess we can burn that bridge when we get there.” The tea shoppe worker managed a shaky smile. “So, departure times?” He whirled around without any hint from the other and began heading back towards the public transportation, trying to determine if there would be a listing of departures and locations, or if he’d have to ask for the information personally. 

In no hurry to catch up, Ayanami took his time in following having no further input about this topic. This was going to be an annoying journey and his patience was going to be tried, he could already tell. Instead he tucked his bag of supplies and food under his arm and opened his book. He still hadn’t read the end of it yet, never having getting a chance to finish it. “Hmm.” he simply answered, staying a few paces behind, reading and walking as he’d done so often within the library. Just more people to dodge in the streets than in the aisles. 

The tea shoppe worker found himself almost gleeful at the fact there was a listing of all the transportation dates and times for their current location, it meant he didn’t have to ask for information that he knew he wouldn’t be able to contain without many issues. His eyes scanned the page for the current date before moving onward. He had started in District Seven and everyone had found his quirkiness something to be gossiped about, which meant there was no reason to return there. And now with finding Furst, maybe that meant the Sixth District was over and done with as well...? Would it really be that simple, he wondered. Would he get that lucky? The answer was no, he knew this without a doubt. But it would be progress, and he could get to see more of each district and space. There was bound to be something interesting there in the Fifth. He found a scrap piece of paper and wrote down the dates of departure to the next district, just in case, and turned to face Furst with a small smile. “Do... you want to leave here as soon as possible... or would you like to explore?” If he had been locked in the library for his entire life, there had to be some curiosity, right?

Amethyst eyes peeked over his book to glare at the tea shoppe worker for a moment. Did he want to explore? Well. With a quick snap he shut the book pondering the question seriously. “Well...” What was outside the stone cage? He glanced behind him taking in the city. He could almost recall a snowy night. Being held by someone who smelled like tea. A favorite of his. A voice that said words he couldn’t make out in his memories... Would he find that person here? Who held him safe and close only to leave him behind at the church? Did he care? Were there actually any answers here? 

Finally he looked back at his companion. So close in appearance to his own. “No. I think it’s time to fly away from this place once and for all. If there is a need, we can always return.” He offered a faint smile. “I am certain at some point the library will be of use to us. Sadly, I can’t remember everything in that big place. Just  most things.” He jested just slightly. 

“Of course,” the younger agreed, knowing that a single person couldn’t know  everything , at least not everything written down in such a large library. He glanced at the slip of paper he wrote on and determined it would just be easier to leave first thing in the morning. From what he vaguely knew of travel times, it would be at least a few days on the road with the caravan. At least before he had been able to entertain himself of thoughts of what would happen while searching for Furst... Who really knew? And would Furst enjoy being cooped inside a caravan for an extended period of time? Probably not, unless he read his book the entire time. “I’ll buy the tickets now then. No point in holding off, right?” He cleared his throat and stepped up to the teller, happy he only stuttered once in the entire conversation with the little lady behind the counter, exchanging the required money, and pocketing the tickets carefully. But now... 

Ayanami watched the whole painful interaction with detached disinterest. He’d been in a stone library his whole life and he was fairly certain he could have done that better. He rolled his eyes, tempted to open his book again and continue reading. He refrained and decided to mock. He could finally speak his mind instead of holding his tongue as he had all these years. 

“Brilliant. That went well and wasn’t awkward for anyone who was here or witnessed that.” He reached up to flick a few stray silver bangs out of his eyes. “But if you’re quite done of making a fool of yourself, can we continue this journey? The sooner we solve these mysteries the sooner we can part ways.” 

Labrador cringed, wondering if it really was as bad as the other was making it sound. “We can continue when the caravan departs. It’ll be a few days from here to our destination, so we’ll have to be prepared for sitting for an extended period of time without any freedom to move as we like.” His legs twinged in remembered pain at just disembarking the caravan earlier that day. “It departs first thing in the morning, so we can check into a hotel and stay overnight and get some decent rest before our departure.” He pointed in the direction he remembered the hotel was supposed to be in. “We should probably eat before then too.”

“Tsk.” What a waste of an evening and night. “Very well. There is nothing for it then.” It was unfortunate but perhaps one last night wouldn’t be a terrible thing. His whole life had been here. Perhaps he shouldn’t fly away too hastily. There was a past and secrets here that still needed answers. Perhaps they would finally come to him in a vision or dream now that he’d flown out of the cage. 

With a weary sigh he followed the tea shoppe worker. Tomorrow would be the dawn of a new day. A journey that would come with answers. Hope that seemingly familiar faces could be found. Voices that were at last clear. All things that had eluded him all his life


	5. Interlude One: A Princess and her Knight

###  And it was enchanting to meet you. All I can say is I was enchanted to meet you. - _Enchanted _, Taylor Swift__

District Five was by no means a large district. Not like the huge neighboring Sixth but it was nothing to be unimpressed with. It was a thriving area full of shops and stores. People from all over came to sample the goods of the prosperous district.

There was a fairly popular place on the corner. In between a busy tea shop and a fancy clothing shop. It was in the heart of the main city and a must sample place for any tourist. It was run by a kind man with bright blue hair and eyes a few shades lighter of that color. He was kind and always had extra goods for those who could not afford them and of course the children. 

He loved the children of the Fifth District. Every day as the young kids came home from evening classes and he’d be out there with fresh rolls and even cupcakes from time to time. And every day he’d look over all their happy faces searching for one. One face in particular. 

Everything about that face was a mystery to him. But he knew that once he saw it, it’d be the one he’d been searching for..

“Haruse!” a friend, who helped him run the shop, called. “Those cakes aren’t going to frost themselves!” 

“Right!” He offered a silly salute to the other and dropped the rest of the rolls on the cheering children. There was work to be done. 

Despite the struggles in the real world, with the military and church, things here couldn’t be better. One simply could not ask for more. A good business and happy customers. His passion was making cakes and treats for those that loved them. Making people love them. Haruse certainly shouldn’t ask for more. 

But as happy as he was. Something was missing. 

Someone was missing. 

A child who needed his help. 

He pressed a flowered covered hand to his face, smearing the white powder all over. It was as if... 

“UGH!”

Haruse glanced behind him offering his friend a smile. “That’s not a sound I like to hear in my bakery.” he teased forgetting his inner turmoil for the moment. 

“What in the Seven Districts is this?” 

The blue haired baker tilted his head to the side, noting the large jar filled with a light blue  something .  

“Well. It’s...” His brow furrowed as he wasn’t sure. “It’s...” 

“Poison!! It’s poison.” 

“It is not.” Haruse defended, a bit insulted. “I made it myself... on a whim. It’s not right though.” 

“You’re damn right it isn’t right! That’ll kill someone!” 

His overdramatic friend continued to rant and rave about the strange substance but the owner of the bakery ignored him. His thoughts instead much more focused on the blue mystery. The color was right. It even smelled right. But something important was missing. 

His thoughts were interrupted with an awful squeaking sound. Turning his attention back to his friend he saw the other with a marker drawing a skull and crossbones on the glass. 

“AH! What are you doing! No one will eat it with that!!” 

“No one should ever eat it!”  

So that became the jar for the mystery substance so no one would ever accidentally eat it. Every now and then Haruse was compelled to remake it in an attempt to make it right. And as his friend said, it  was dreadful. Too strong and enough to burn the taste buds right off your tongue. But that wasn’t the problem with it. Not at all. It was something else altogether. Something missing that was eluding him like the face of that child he could never find in the crowds. 

It was like fragments of another life. Another world. Fragments of a world he once knew. How else would he have made that almost perfect blue concoction? 

“Do you ever feel like you’re attached to something?” Haruse asked one afternoon as he was rolling out dough for a new batch of goods.

“How do you mean attached?” 

Haruse frowned some trying to explain how to explain it. “Threads. Threads attaching you to someone sort of feeling...” 

“Like that red string of fate story?” 

“I suppose it’s something like that. I was thinking blue.” 

“There is no blue string of fate story...” 

Haruse dodged  the bag of chocolate chips that had been aimed at him, ignoring the sounds of the chocolate pieces scattering about on the counter and floor. A string of muttered curses following.  “Blue threads. I’m sure of it.” Binding one heart to another. One cannot live without the other. One would be nothing more than a doll without them. 

Dolls... 

Dressed as nuns. 

In a church. 

“Hey! I’m tryin’ to get some service around here!” 

“Don’t be rude.” A kind voice quickly interrupted. “I’m sorry for her. We’ve been traveling and she’s just hungry.” 

Haruse glanced back only seeing a kind looking woman. Dark hair red hair wound up in a neat bun. A rather well off family and obviously just passing through. The sort of people his business thrived on. Offering the woman a smile he went back to what he was doing. His friend taking the register and telling the guests all about the food that they had. Tons of sweets as well as some milder flavors. 

“I like strong flavors.” the child said again. 

“Here try this.” 

There was a bit of silence before the child spoke up again. “Eh. It’s alright. I can’t really taste anything.” 

“W-what? Maybe you just got a bad treat. We can-”

“No it’s not that. She has a problem with her sense of taste.” The mother explained. “We’d come here hoping that there was something here she could enjoy.” 

Again Haruse stopped what he was doing. “Should I-” 

With a bright smile his friend waved his hand. “I can handle this don’t worry. You’re the best baker in this district. Maybe in all the districts. I know what you make better than anyone. There is something here we can give to this little lady. Our reputation depends on it.” 

That was true but.... 

Several treats later there was no progress. The girl couldn’t taste any of their famous items. 

“We’re sorry for wasting your time. We’ll go. Ku-” 

“What’s that?” the child’s voice demanded.

“That’s not for eating. It’s something... not quite ready for the public.” The other owner explained as the child pointed to the large jar of bright blue liquid. 

“I wanna try it!” the girl exclaimed excitedly. 

“No you-” 

“She can try some.” Haruse interrupted reaching for the jar and bringing it to the main counter. 

“You can’t give a child that!” 

His friend was probably right. This stuff was hardly suitable for a child. But... 

Standing on her toes the young girl pulled herself up some. “What is it? What’s it called?” 

A single magenta colored eye looked up at Haruse. The other covered by a decorated patch. Her hair bright and pink. He almost dropped the jar staring at her. 

The face... 

“I asked you a question! What’s it called?” 

“Oh...” he blinked a few times looking over the jar filled with the mystery substance. A skull drawn into the glass so long ago. “Well.” A name, sharp and clear in her voice came to mind. 

And in his memories he saw this same girl. A girl who couldn’t reach the buttons on a machine. Who sat alone as everyone else shunned her. 

_I’m cursed. Someone put a curse on me._

“It’s a very special substance. With a very special name. It’s only for cursed princesses~” 

Her smile grew bright. “Oh yeah?” 

“I’d like to call it... Premium Blue Sky Jelly.” 

She froze for a moment staring at him. Really staring at him. “Blue Sky Jelly...?” 

“That’s right. You put a spoon full. Or two. Or maybe even a whole bunch on anything you could ever want to eat. It works best on my food~ And. You’ll be able to taste it.” 

Working quickly Haruse pulled out a jelly roll and poured a few spoonfuls upon the pastry. “And now it’s ready for a princess.” 

“A cursed princess...” she said softly holding out her hand.  

“That’s right.” With a bright smile of his own he gave her the treat. 

This was the child. This was the girl he’d been searching for. She was the missing face in those memories and dreams. In another life. In another place they’d known each other. She held the other end of his blue threads of fate. 

The pink haired girl looked over the blue substance carefully before taking a large bite. For a moment she just chewed contently before sighing. “It’s...” she was suddenly was alight and smiling brightly. “perfect! I can taste it and everything.” She pulled herself onto the counter once more. “You... We’ve met before.” 

“Have we?” Did she know too? Was she just as aware? 

“In a castle... With a good king. And.” her brow furrowed a bit as she tried to recall the same fractured memories. “You were my knight.” 

“Were you my princess?” 

The girl smiled brightly. Missing pieces finding their place. Somehow in this huge wide world full of different people and endless faces they’d managed to find each other.

“We have to go now. Thank you so much. We’ll have someone contact you about that jelly.” The mother gently took her daughter by the shoulder. “Come now.” 

Go...? No. She couldn’t go. They’d just found each other. Where was she going? What was her name even? 

The child seemed to have the same feeling. “Wait! You have to come with! Come live with me! Come be my knight again!” 

“Don’t be foolish now. He’s just a baker. And we have prior engagements.” 

And the mother spoke truthfully of course. He was just a baker. In this life he was not so fortunate to have been a knight. Her knight. 

So all he could do was watch her go. In this life... she’d really been born a princess. And she would go places he could not follow. So that was why he’d smile and wave to her as she left. No names. He’d found her and that would be enough. 

Haruse simply placed a hand to his chest and offered the young girl a bow. “I hope that someday, my Blue Sky Jelly breaks your curse, my princess.” 

Tears filled her one visible eye but she didn’t fight against her mother anymore. “The king...” she said softly. “He’ll find us. You’ll be my knight again.” 

The words were spoken with authority. Like an order. Fitting somehow... despite her cute and innocent looking appearance she held a power. Something strong and nothing to be overlooked. 

And like that she was gone. Returning to her castle in another district. Somewhere far away where he could not follow. 

“What a kid.” his partner let out a whistle. “But we should really get started on stuff. A big caravan is coming into town tomorrow. You know how the tourists like to clean us out.” 

“Right...” Duty called. 

As his princess got farther away he could feel the threads becoming thinner and thinner. Never breaking. They would never. 

“I can’t believe that kid likes this crap.” his friend murmured, putting the jelly back on the shelf. 

Haruse let out a laugh at this. “Of course. It’s going to break her curse!” 

A sigh was returned his way. “What kind of fairy tales are you reading? Don’t you know anything? Only a kiss can break a curse.” 

“A kiss...?” 

“Yeah. From a prince.” 

“Or... a king?” 

“Yeah or a king. Now can we please get back to work?” 

Haruse froze for a moment. A king. And he was a knight. So that was how it was... Well then, he would make it his duty to find his princess’s king. 

The curse had to be broken. 


	6. Entering District Five

### Only when you stop to think about me, do you know? I hate everything about you - _I Hate Everything About You_ , Three Days Grace 

  


“You’re the most idiotic person I’ve ever met and I lived in a building full of them.” The young scholar’s words were sharp but soft, meant to do harm to this fool who had done nothing but get on his nerves this entire trip. Ayanami was truly on his last wave of patience and before this was over he just may end up beating Labrador to death with his bible. Probably a bit sacrilegious but he was certain the Chief or whomever would forgive him. After all, look at his present company!

Labrador just looked out the carriage, once again thanking whomever that he got a ‘window’ to peer out of. “I don’t necessarily agree, but I wasn’t locked inside a building with more books than I know what to do with for my whole life.” He honestly didn’t know how to handle the other’s words, or the constant commentary on how stupid Labrador supposedly was. He didn’t feel stupid, he felt accomplished, but maybe there was a book on what constituted as being stupid and Furst was the expert on that text from front to back and then some. He heaved a sigh.

“Books are better than people.” Ayanami snapped, faintly unaware how much he meant that with all his heart. They didn’t insult or judge. And they were always right where you left them saving your place and awaiting your return like an old friend. Books were full of information about every subject and while they could grow old they were always repairable with the right skilled hands. They would never die. Never leave you behind. “So you met a handful of travelers in your days working and waited on them like a servant? Oh, how exciting. Did you learn anything from them? Did you become friends with any of those arrogant imbeciles? I highly doubt it. I may have been in that library my whole life. But I’ve been to more places than you could ever hope to see in a single lifetime. And I never needed a single person in my life to accomplish any of that.”

“At least I had interaction. I can hold conversations with people and make them feel as though nothing else matters at least for a little bit. I can help calm, and sooth, and direct them into making choices they never would have without some sort of prodding. You may have your books, and the numerous worlds and expertise you can find by reading them, but I don’t have to make someone feel inferior to feel happy about myself.” Labrador took a calming breath and wished he had his tea, or something to busy his hands with.

The words stung. Deep down. The words were bringing up things he didn’t wish to ever talk about. Shattering the illusion that he created himself in his years of solitude. He was happy with himself... or so he wanted so hard to believe. But more than anything he wanted to be just like everyone else. A secret in his heart that he’d created as the other scholars mocked and called him a bad omen. Where he would sit with the hawk at the window and wish upon the stars and the higher beings in heaven, whoever they might be, that he could just be normal. That he could be happy. In books and in worlds of fantasy and history was where he escaped. To be called out on such things... Pale fingers gripped the edges of his leather bound book. The urge to bash in the other silver haired boy’s head was so terribly strong. Such urges of violence never so prominent before. “You don’t-” 

“Two cute twins shouldn’t fight like that.” 

Two pairs of violet eyes fell on the other, rather unfortunate, person that happened to be in this caravan with them. He clearly hadn’t been listening to the whole conversation otherwise he wouldn’t have been such a fool and called them twins. The man quickly silenced himself and said nothing further as they both glared, neither appreciating such a comment. 

For Ayanami it was the last straw. “We’re not brothers. We’re not twins. We’re not even friends!” Those visions flickered in the back of his mind. Where gold and ebony uniforms fluttered wildly as black and red letters swirled about his form. Destruction and death. Anger and pain. They spelled out such things and took down everything and anything. 

But... he didn’t have those powers. He wasn’t strong. He was just a scholar... who knew nothing about the real world, as the other had stated. All he knew was books and about worlds that didn’t exist, battles that had happened long ago. 

Out. He wanted out. This was dumb and he’d had enough. 

Slowly standing he attempted to reign in the anger daring to consume him. “I’ve had enough... I’d rather be in a cage than spend another moment with you.”

Labrador inwardly cringed, diverting his gaze from the poor innocent who got caught in the middle of this. Really? A cage? Maybe it was better for Furst to remain in the library back in the Sixth District. That was an elaborate cage if he’d ever seen one. “If you hop off, you are aware you’d be in the middle of nowhere, with no immediate towns nearby, _and_ ” he turned to give the other a look, “no food other than what you have in your bag, assuming it would carry you long enough to get anywhere.” He closed his eyes and took another breath, feeling as though there was a possibility of an attack. “You’re better off waiting a few more days and then abandoning me in our next town, at least then you’d be around more people you can belittle with your words. I’ll be quiet until then.”

“If I have to sit here with you for even one more day, I’ll kill you.” He was a scholar. Such thoughts and threats should not be spilling from his lips. And yet they were. He didn’t know where they were coming from or why but he knew he meant them with all his heart. However, the tea shoppe slave did have a point. He’d die out there. But another moment in this seat and someone else would die. Holding the bible tightly to him he departed from their row of seats for somewhere else. Anywhere else. 

Labrador let his head drop back against the seat with a small thud. He began rubbing the palms of his hands with his fingers, focused on his breathing. At least they wouldn’t be physically fighting, he wasn’t certain who would win in the end. He did breathing exercises and felt the mild dose of adrenaline leave his form, and let his thoughts wander.

The trip started off fairly simply, the two woke up early enough to choose their seats without any problems. The fact they sat next to each other was viewed as preferable, so they wouldn’t inadvertently lose each other somehow upon disembarking. The two didn’t have much to discuss, or anything to say, but steadily, tension grew. Labrador wasn’t certain if that was because of the times he’d blank out, moments during the trip where there were gaps in time and maybe Furst had attempted to start conversation? He wasn’t certain at all. At that point in time, all Labrador knew for certain was tea would be greatly appreciated.

With yet another sigh, he shifted in his seat and leaned against the wall of the caravan, his head at an awkward angle as he tried to look out the window. The scenery wasn’t anything special, but it was better than looking at the same thing all the time. Maybe part of Furst’s problem was motion sickness? Didn’t people get that from reading in an enclosed moving space? Labrador wasn’t sure. He probably should read more. Tea helped with motion sickness. Certain types of it anyway. Tea and crackers. Why didn’t he bring any with him? 

Ayanami didn’t have motion sickness. Had the other told him that was his issue he really would have smacked the tea shoppe worker with his book. Thankfully nothing of the sort had been said and the scholar was left to wander about the small aisle keeping far away from his burdensome traveling partner. He really did want to leave but he’d die. Almost instantly this he was certain of. Working the little ways to inn and even the caravan had worn him out a bit. He didn’t move about a lot in the library... So to walk across a wasteland... 

Having gone as far as he could go in the caravan he sat down, back pressed against the wall. It was uncomfortable but at least he wasn’t around annoying individuals with their comments and opinions. Pulling up his hood and hiding his face from the rest of the world he debated taking a nap. Sleeping would probably be the most enjoyable moments of the trip. Blacked out and unaware of his ‘companion’. 

Sleep didn’t come so easily to him unfortunately. So instead he opened the book back up continuing where he’d left off. The next few pages were about Verloren and his monstrous creations. Kor, Wars and Warsfiel... Monsters that hunted innocent people and tricked them. Stealing the precious three wishes and sending them into the abyss.

Three wishes... He hummed softly running his fingers over the pages. What were his three wishes? Did anyone know? People obviously had more than three so these three from the Chief of Heaven himself must be secret even to you. Something that could only be granted through great trials and tribulations. So did that mean that if by chance they were all granted you just died? And then what? 

Too many pages were missing. Too little information. It didn’t seem to make sense. And if his conclusions were correct about certain things... Well, it didn’t seem right. The whole system seemed wrong. 

But what was the truth? This book that was missing so much important information. The Ghosts and Verloren. The Chief and his daughter... What was the real story? And as he was given this book what did it all mean? What did any of this have to do with him? 

With a heavy sigh he stood back up. His place in the back was uncomfortable and the floor left little to be desired. As much as he detested the other he may as well grit his teeth and bear it. There was little he could do about it until they reached their destination. Perhaps then they really could part ways. 

Begrudgingly the scholar made his way back to his original seat, not even bothering to make eye contact with the tea servant. “How much longer are we going to be in this moving cage? Is that a question you’re capable of answering in a reasonable manner?” 

_Oh geez_ , Labrador thought, _he came back_. “We’ve been in here three days, I would say four more at the maximum.” Labrador stated. “I am not certain of the distance between the Sixth and Fifth, but any more than four would be unreasonable without some form of a break between.”

 _Four more?_ How wretched. They were not going to make four more days in each other’s company. He let out a huff and a puff and took his seat once more, going back to reading his book. The pages and the neat scroll of Miroku would ease his irritation with the other. 

* * *

Upon arrival in the Fifth District, Labrador disembarked and felt a wave of relief. He was no longer confined in small spaces with Furst, and he could breathe in without feeling the stare of disapproval. Something told him that the other would probably celebrate his dropping dead, if it were to happen. He placed his bag at his feet and began a process of stretching, loosening the muscles in his back and legs, feeling as the joints and vertebrae popped. Already he felt so much better, and he hadn’t even had tea! His eyes searched out Furst.

The journey had been exhausting for the scholar. It was far too many days of traveling and being in a horribly confined space with someone he couldn’t stand. The only good thing that had come from it was that he’d been able to get a great deal of reading done. The bickering between he and the tea shoppe worker hadn’t really quelled any but it also hadn’t gotten worse. So... that was something. 

He held his possessions close to him as he stepped back onto ground that wasn’t moving and really took in a whole new world. This was a place he was completely unfamiliar with. This wasn’t a place he’d been looking out from his window for years upon years. Everything was different from the smells to the way the very buildings were put together and designed. 

The Fifth District was a rather well off district despite everything going on in the world and it was only going to get bigger and better. With the return of the military and church there would be a greater demand for everything. More people having more jobs and making money to give back to these shops. Even his Sixth District was likely to get bigger and better. The library would become busier and perhaps it would grow. Perhaps even another floor would be added so more books could be kept inside. 

In these upcoming years it would be interesting to see how civilization repaired itself and grew. It would be nice to see... If he could live a life outside that stone cage. If this journey worked out. If they solved the mysteries and he could find those important people that his memories kept trying to help him recall. If all those things could happen... 

_‘Master,’_

Ayanami blinked in confusion turning to look behind him. His violet eyes narrowed in instant suspicion and he quickly made his way to find his annoying companion. “Did you hear something?” 

Labrador’s head tilted faintly. “No. Nothing outside them,” he gestured to the rest of the passengers on the caravan.

Perhaps he’d imagined it. He couldn’t be annoyed if there was truly nothing there. He heard voices and saw things all of the time. This just seemed different. But maybe it really had been nothing at all. Besides, there were more important things to think upon, such as if they were parting ways or continuing on together. 

Labrador pulled on the mantle and grabbed at his bag. “We can go get something to eat, and then find an open inn. I think some food, maybe some tea, would be good for us after that journey.” The tea shoppe worker paused, “Tea possibly more so. It’s relaxing and good for the body.” His eyes caught movement, and he shifted trying to see it. Either he was seeing something, or his vision was worse than he thought. Floating skeletal wings? “...Furst? Do you see...?”

At the other’s words he twirled around following the sight line. He recognized it at once, he’d seen them in his book. “Kor!” He clutched at his bible uncertain what to do. “Kor are a servant of Verloren. They’re evil... and dangerous.” Wish snatchers... He had much to say about the subject of Verloren and why this was a serious situation but there was no time. He just had to hope that this fool was somewhat educated enough to know bad things when he saw them. 

What to do though? How did you harm one of these things? He had to do something... 

And for a moment he felt calm. If he led others would follow... 

_‘Howling ghost they reappear, in mountains that are stacked with fear. But you're my king and I'm your lionheart.’_

“But I’m your king... and you’re my lionheart.” he said softly as the winged bone creature came toward him. _He would never allow another to step in front of him again and be sacrificed._

Acting fast with the only object he had in his hands, the young scholar swung at the kor with his large heavy book knocking the evil creature to the ground, the decrepit thing bouncing towards his companion, it’s fragile looking wings fluttering a bit as it struggled to get back into the air. “Get it!” he ordered. 

Labrador acted, stomping on the thing as he didn’t have any weapons other than his own body to use. He just kept kicking, hoping that this Kor would disappear, or dissolve, or do something and leave. There was a shift, and the Kor dissolved, turning into a pile of dust beneath Labrador’s shoe. He glanced at Furst. “Why... why would a Kor be here? Isn’t that just something --” His words cut off in remembrance.

_”The kor... has an occupation of stealing those dreams and dragging humans into darkness. . . If your first dream is granted through the Kor’s power, your heart becomes unable to ever be satisfied, no matter what you do. When the second is granted, you drop into a state of starvation, kind of like an addiction symptom. And then when your third plea is granted the soul has indulged too much in darkness, and it will forever be unable to go to the Chief. The Kor takes that body to increase the number of comrades, while waiting for their master’s, Verloren’s, return.”_

He blinked and nodded, if the voice from his memories said so, then it seemed reasonable for these things to exist. Especially if Furst knew about them too, probably also from one of his books. Was there anything the guy didn’t know? “Well then, that was... interesting...?”

Ayanami clutched at his book as he looked at the dust underneath the other’s feet. Master they said... “Kor have been missing from the world for a hundred years. This is the first one to show itself... “ Why? They went on a journey to find their fragmented memories. Miroku had given him this complete bible. Someone from somewhere had encouraged this journey. The tags of the Blackhawks... The Kor. This could very well be much bigger than they first thought and if that was the case they should not separate as he’d hoped. “We should go somewhere and talk...” 

“Agreed,” Labrador hitched up his bag, putting it over his shoulder and glanced around. The people moved on as though nothing had occurred. Not one person seemed to have noticed the Kor, which was surprising. Wouldn’t something like that have been easily seen? Maybe back whenever his memories took place, maybe they were well known then? He moved to the ticket counter, asking for directions, feeling a bit more confident in his questions this time around. There was a well known tea shoppe closer towards the center of the city; the calming liquid would help with the tense discussion.

He gestured for the other to follow, and began the walk to the tea shoppe. Maybe a small snack would be nice too. It would depend on Furst’s attitude after the tea and the conversation. He was honestly surprised at how populated the district was, and how well taken care of after such destruction that the other districts that seemed to be struggling with. The road was solid, cobblestone, which already began causing some harm on his feet and hips.

The shoppe appeared in Labrador’s vision, and he took in the well kept building, the bright sign advertising their black teas for the day, the colors that hinted at a new paint job, and the way the store was almost filled with the number of customers they had. It made a faint scowl cross his lips. Why couldn’t his shoppe be this popular? Was it because they were on the edge of District Seven, or was it because it was practically hidden in an alleyway? With a pout, he led the way inside, asking for a table for the two, and took a single menu. He already knew what he’d want, assuming they even had it.

The host directed them to the table and chairs just outside the door, on a small patio. Labrador sat down, placed his bag on the ground, and resisted the urge to collapse against the round metal table. He was ready for a nap.

Ayanami slipped on his glasses needing them to read the words on the menu. The young scholar had really only ever had one kind of tea and that was whatever the elders made. All these names and different leaves were things he was unfamiliar with. He didn’t even know the name of the kind he usually had. He would probably ask the other if his pride allowed it. But it also didn’t bode well to get into any kind of argument when there were more important things to talk about. Deciding he’d pick randomly when it was time to order he cleared his throat and began what would hopefully be their first truly civil conversation. 

“When I left the library I spoke with the head scholar. The one who took me in for the most part. He told me some interesting things. One of the more prominent ones being that someone told him not long after I came into his keeping that I would one day have to go on a journey. It was a woman... he described her as being heavenly. Not of this world. She gave him something to give to me.” The tags of the deadly hawks he kept around his neck. “So, I wonder, did someone like that come to those who took you in? Was your journey predetermined as well?” 

The other nodded along, his expression turning to one of curiosity as Furst revealed the woman. “Yes, I... My aunt and uncle, they were told when I started working that...” he glanced to his bag, wondering exactly where the dreaded flower was kept. “That I was going to leave one day, go on a journey. And the man gave them a flower. I was supposed to bring it while looking for you. It’s in my bag.” His hands began fiddling with the collar of his mantle, “It was supposed to be some form of support for the journey. I don’t... I don’t know much about it, I just know what they managed to tell me before I agreed.”

“What kind of flower? I was given dog tags...” Hesitantly he reached into his robes to show off the seven tags that he’d been given. “You can’t read any of the names but on the bag is the seal of Barsburg and the symbol of the Blackhawks.” The young scholar took a deep breath attempting not to sound too condescending. “Have you heard of the Blackhawks?”

Labrador thought about it, slowly, making sure he was certain. “Not... Not in this life, no. But...” His eyes went half-lidded as he tried to recall the flashes of memories. “But maybe once before.” As for the flower, he was more hesitant on recalling exactly what it was, however he was able to easily put words to the image burned in his eyes. “The flower was on the cusp of dying, already dry and brittle on the edge of the petals. It’s kept in a glass container, to prevent it from decaying anymore. I.. I don’t know what kind it is. I never looked too hard. It was never something I contemplated.”

“Another life...” he’d never thought of it that way. These images were visions from a life they used to live. Did that mean these gifts that had been given to their caretakers were hints to who they had been? He’d never heard of people having such strong visions of a past life though. And it simply couldn’t be that simple. “You have a flower. And I have Blackhawk tags.” Blackhawks... the ones who destroyed the world, supposedly. “If your theory is correct, if these are memories from another life...” 

When he and Labrador spoke for the first time he’d seen a clear vision where they stood facing each other. Themselves from another life... Vines and flowers mingled with the torn apart ground of a church. But he’d been in similar clothing if he recalled. But then again he saw other visions of himself in gold and black. What did it all mean? 

Perhaps he was looking at this the wrong way. Perhaps the items weren’t keys to who they were. But what they had to do.... 

Yes, that had to be it. 

Blackhawks and flowers. 

The scholar let out a sigh of relief. As interested as he was in the Blackhawks and their history he did not wish to be one of them in his past life. To be the one who had a hand in destroying the world, he couldn’t live with that kind of weight and burden on his shoulders. But he of course could never be such a being. Such a... _monster_.

“I suspect that these are clues to what we must to do obtain our memories. It will lead us to the people who have all the answers. I don’t know what you flower could possibly mean without seeing it.” He pushed his glasses up a bit higher on his nose offering the other a smirk. “Just from talking about it, you don’t seem too fond of it. I’ve never heard of a fear of flowers, though I imagine it isn’t unheard of. Perhaps you were killed by it in your previous life~ And that’s why you have it. I may have been killed by a Blackhawk. It would all fit considering their reputation and why we have them. The last known items to our past lives.” 

Labrador shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “It’s part of the visions I get. Some of the most unpleasant visions I have of that other life has to do with plants, dead plants, and I’d rather not re-experience them again and again just so you can see the flower in question.” He shivered, trying to shove the memory back, and calm himself. “Though your idea does seem reasonable. Why else would plants cause horrid memory recall? But how did these people, this man and woman have them? And why would they give them to people who can give them to us?” Was this ‘rebirth’ foretold somewhere? Is everything connected or were they reading into it too much and it was pure coincidence, and the only thing they really had were the memories in general?

He released a breath of air as the server approached and asked what sort of tea they’d like to drink, Labrador was quick to ask if the prices were based on the number of cups they drank, or just the teapot in general. If anything, this was the one thing he was confident in. Upon the answer, he ordered some camomile tea for himself, thanking the server and relaxed in his chair. 

_Prices_. Ayanami wrinkled his nose. That’s right. The rest of the world revolved on money. Not something he was terribly familiar with though he did not know of it. As he had none of such things and had treated the other... not poorly, but he certainly wasn’t kind, his choice in tea was quite simple. “Nothing for me, thank you.” He wasn’t a fan of eating and other such nonsense. At one point the military used to have pills to prevent such basic needs. And from what he’d heard it was coming back. He looked forward to the day when it was available to all. 

As the server stepped away, Labrador leaned forward, returning to the interrupted conversation. “And before, you said no one had seen the Kor for a hundred years. Why would they return now? Do you think we have anything to do with that too? Or is it just a coincidence?” He doubted it, with the memory he had of someone explaining the Kor to a non-believer, and it was in the book that Furst carried around with him everywhere. There had to be a reason for that, no matter how small it was.

“The Kor are controlled by Verloren... They are his servants,” he let out a sigh. “The book is vague about this but it says that Verloren was sealed because of his crimes. However, he’s not the only one who can control them. Stronger servants of his can do it as well. For the Kor to show up in front of us of all people has to mean something. And we were sent out on this journey. Someone is hunting us. Trying to stop us from accomplishing whatever it is we’re here to do. It all leads to someone. And maybe that someone will lead us to Verloren. Maybe our goal is to seal Verloren! Maybe that’s our purpose. Perhaps we failed in a past life. Or the seal is breaking in this life. Either way, I believe our only option is to follow the Kor trail. Our own personal mission aside, I think this is what we have to do.” 

“Seal Verloren?” Labrador’s tone was of disbelief. “What can we do? We’re two people, two people who are sickly, and we don’t have anything special. I don’t have any attack zaiphon, I know that, so unless you somehow have the ability, we’re weaponless.” He rubbed at the insides of his palms, “There’s not much you and I can do alone. We can’t walk a couple minutes without feeling tired or drained. And I doubt anyone will believe us. You saw that earlier. No one else seemed to see it, no one else was approached. It was just you and me reacting.” This was absurd. Maybe this was how his aunt and uncle felt when he revealed his visions and memories and blackouts. Complete disbelief. 

It was as if their positions had been reversed from their first talk in the library. “Look around you! There is no better district to be in than the prospering Fifth District. There can’t be a shortage of jobs here. Look how busy this tea place is. You could find work easy. Or at another one altogether. I have skills too. Let’s work. Let’s train. Have we ever tried to make a Zaiphon? You said before it isn’t random. That these things that happen to us are for a reason. That Kor that came to us wasn’t by accident. It was on purpose. How can we do nothing now? Knowing what you know would you ignore the obvious?” He stood from his seat full of energy at this prospect. “In my book it says that there are seven ghosts. Seven that worked together to seal Verloren. Our visions and illnesses are the same. In another life we may have been those ghosts! I bet there are even more of us out there! So we have to try. Let’s rally together complete this mission that we were brought back into this world to do! It’s not impossible. You were right. This is bigger than us and more than just a coincidence! This is our destiny.” It wasn’t being raised as an orphan and becoming a prince. It was better. Being a warrior for the Heavens themselves to stop Verloren. To stop people like the Blackhawks from doing more damage to the world. This was more than he could have ever hoped for. Ever dreamed. All they had to do was prepare and get stronger for their future.

Labrador sat back in his chair. Where in the world was this enthusiasm coming from? Furst was such a downer usually, but suddenly this prospect made him so excited, so... bright? What in the world? “I... Furst, you’re not making any sense. If anything you would be the first person in the world to say this is the most absurd thing ever. You didn’t even want to acknowledge we had something in common back in Sixth, and suddenly you’re all for this. You’re wanting to fight a... a god more or less. He has servants you said, people who go through and can even control his own servants. A hierarchy. How can two people take out a hierarchy?” He fumbled for the words. “And... Seven Ghosts? Seven people who sealed him away? What.... what if you have this all wrong?” He felt his chest clench, and he wondered if yet another blackout was on its way.

“What if we’re not Ghosts? What if we’re not them, but... but we’re Blackhawks?” Labrador continued. “What if we’re one of _them_? Or what if, in some crazy turn of events, one of us is Verloren himself? What then? What are we supposed to do? How... I just...” He shook his head. “I don’t think we know enough to just, jump into this situation. All we have are these memories, which we don’t even recall everything, and those items, and that book, that book that you said doesn’t have everything. What if pieces those pieces were removed for a reason? A good reason?” He wrapped his arms around himself in a minor hug, gaze dropping to the surface of the table. Labrador wasn’t certain what could be worse, or what it would mean, or what it would happen on account of them. He only knew a few things for certain, and those were nowhere on the level of these claims.

“What if? What if, What if.” Ayanami waved a hand dismissing those words, the scholar's amethyst eyes gleaming with excitement. “It’s nearly impossible for either of us to be Verloren. Why would we have found each other if that was the case? And so what if one of us is a Blackhawk? We’re making the right choices in taking care of this now. The whole story about the Blackhawks is speculation anyway. What matters is now. These Kor are after us. Or following us. We need to find their source and stop them. Nothing that’s happened is by chance. You’ve come all this way just to stop believing now?” Ayanami removed his glasses and picked up his heavy book. “No one will stop you if that’s your decision. I’ll keep moving forward. I’ve flown this far. I won’t stop now. I’ve wanted a purpose my whole life. And if this is it, I’ll gladly take it. I will stop Verloren and his Kor. And when it is all said and done, I can live a life that is my own. Perhaps with those people that linger in my memory. Who are dear but unknown to me. But you are free to return home. I will not stop you.” 

His first response was to heave a sigh. “I didn’t say I didn’t believe, but not the way you’re going about it. I believed in the visions, in the people I would hear and see. But this is too much for just us. Even if I wanted to help and seal him away, what if you and I aren’t enough?” Labrador shook his head. “Back in District Seven, all I had was ‘what ifs’. What if the guy who looks like me and has the same symptoms as me thinks I’m crazy? What if he doesn’t believe me in the fact that we have the same things? What if these visions are just that, visions? What if I’m hearing voices because there’s something wrong with me? And you know what, I was okay with that. I was fine with the what ifs, because I knew what they were, and what they meant to me.” His head fell back against the chair, and he almost slumped in his seat. “Furst. It’s just... so much bigger than I thought. Can you blame me for being uncertain? Scared? I think I’m about to have an attack if I have to be honest.” His hands rubbed at his face before tugging at some of his hair. “I don’t want to go back, I’m out of there now. Who the hell wants to go back to sharing a small house with their aunt and uncle after seeing all of this?

“I just... can we think about it more? Research it more? We have far too little to go off of in the first place. Let’s just... explore the options. If we have to settle here for a little bit, I can find a job easily. I don’t want us to decide that, yes we’re going to go and take on Verloren himself and then end up getting stuck.” 

Ayanami let out a sigh. Irritation prickling at him but he was attempting to remain calm and reasonable. “As I said. We’re going to stay here for a bit. Get money and different clothes. Everything we could possibly need, information included. But, when I’m ready to go, I’m going. And you can either follow or go on your own way. And that is my final decision on that.” 

Fine, then. Seemed vaguely reasonable for rushing head on into a subject that neither knew much about. Labrador sighed and nodded. “Okay, agreed. Would you like to sit down again, Furst? You’re drawing attention, and I don’t know if you want that.” He felt extremely relieved when he spotted the pot of tea and two cups being carried their way. They took their sweet time. He would have already been cleaning up the teapot already, or at least refilling it with almost boiling water to refresh the pot. Such bad serving standards. “We’ll figure it out as we go.” Might as well be optimistic, right?

The teapot was placed on the table, and Labrador quickly took over, almost shooing the server away, checking the tea to be certain it was steeping, and at the correct temperature. Proud they could at least get that correct, he waited until the tea was the correct color before pouring them both a cupful. He pulled it into his hands and blew on the steaming liquid, sipping at it gingerly. Fairly decent, and it would do. Tea is tea, and it worked.

If Ayanami could stand for a longer amount of time he’d have kept standing out of spite. As it was, he took his seat and took the offered cup, albeit a bit hesitantly. He had no way to contribute for the payment. The same situation for the caravan ride and the inn. Well, if he could get a job and start working in this district it would no longer be an issue. The time they would spend in this district would probably be lengthy. Plenty of time to encourage his companion to get more behind on this venture and learn all that was needed about the Kor and Verloren. He truly didn’t want to spend more than a month here but there didn’t seem like a good way to avoid such a situation he had to admit. They could only leave when they were fully supplied and ready. Not to mention they needed practice in fighting. They couldn’t smack Kor with books and step on them each time they ran into them. 

Sighing to himself he sipped at the tea. Not a bad flavor, he noted. Different from the bland stuff he’d grown up on. “What is this called again...? This tea, I mean.”

“Camomile,” Labrador stated, “It’s effective at calming and helping relax or think in a logical manner. I figured after our encounter with the Kor it would be best.” He offered a smile, “this is one thing that I’m always certain about. I’m glad you enjoy it.” 

Ayanami offered the other a faint smirk. But not a cruel one by any means “So. I suppose there are things in this world that you know more about than I.” He blew on the hot liquid before taking another sip. “So I’ll let you handle those kinds of matters. I’ll take care of the rest.” 

Labrador resisted the urge to mock the other with his smug tone. Tea, working, and interacting with others. It was official, his job was to do all the things to keep them in the Fifth District as long as possible. Someone had to. He took another sip of the warm liquid. “Seems reasonable. I’ll look for a job once we’ve picked somewhere to be our base.”

“Base...?” The other cocked his head to the side, imagining something he’d read in his books. A little wooden fort in the trees. Or a deep underground cavern full of fancy gadgets one could no longer find in this day and age. “The city life doesn’t have very many trees though. Or space for such things. Perhaps we should consider staying in an inn for as long as we can afford it.”

The tea aficionado agreed after fighting the urge to let his head drop forward, or make any sort of gesture that would have Furst verbally lashing out. Finally they were on some sort of vague agreement, and Labrador honestly didn’t want to immediately jump right back into the verbal sparring the two had engaged in throughout the trip. “Yes, the room in an inn would work best for now. I’ll worry about working out payment and the duration of our stay once we find a location.” It would probably be best to work out the details once they had all the information necessary, at least, it would be logical.

Ayanami ran his finger around the rim of his cup. “Once we are making money staying at an inn won’t be so bad. If you work at a busy place like this...” And if he found something he could do. He really didn’t know what he could be capable of. He was certain he’d find out in the days to come. They had to make money and he needed to help in some form. To be useless this whole journey did not sit well with him. Being a walking library would only get them so far. He sighed some and pushed his cup away. “It wouldn’t hurt to scope out the town now, while it’s still busy. See what might be a good place to work at, and find a place to stay. In a city like this I imagine the inns fill up quickly.”

The other nodded, topping off his cup of tea. It would be such a waste to just leave like this, but Furst had such a good point. Upon certain that the camomile was at the dregs, he searched for the server, and the register. It took a minor moment for Labrador to determine the best way to pay and moved on from there. He paid the indicated amount and grabbed his bag. “Shall we head back towards the station, or away from it? Either way we’ll find something interesting, I’m certain.” Maybe in their search they’d find stores they could obtain supplies from and stack up for when they decided to move on.

“By the stations would be the busiest I think. We may be better off going deeper into the city.” He followed after the other, the surprisingly sweet aroma of the city hitting him once they stepped outside. How could a city this big and crowded smell so good? He’d have killed for District Six to smell so good during the hot summer days when he was by the window praying to someone for the slightest of breezes to come by. 

All thoughts of the Districts and smells came to a halt when a gaggle of children bombarded both silver haired men. Screaming and laughing and making the other ungodly sounds children made as they pushed past to gather at the doors of a shop just across the way. Feeling slightly harassed by such contact Ayanami’s eyes narrowed and he clutched his bible tighter. “What was that about...?” 

Labrador froze at the large group of children, somehow reminded vaguely of flowers, large bouquets of them, all peering upward toward the sun with bright smiles. But how did flowers smile? Much less when had Labrador ever seen a bouquet of flowers? His eyes followed them into the shop, peering at it curiously. “Maybe someone there gives them things...? Free things always seem to attract people, especially some of the lesser fortunate people.”

Ayanami wrinkled his nose a bit just because he couldn’t quite comprehend. The world revolved around money and it was a concept he was simply unfamiliar with. But. Free was good. That he knew to an extent. “I suppose we should see what they’re giving out then.” 

The two didn’t go more than a few paces before the shop doors opened up once more and the flood of children came pouring back out, this time with a plus one. A tall looking man with shocking blue hair. He laughed as they jumped and jostled him about. Reaching up and shouting what had to be his name, though Ayanami could not make it out. 

“Yes, yes.” he called over their shrill voices, holding a tray of what could only be food above their heads. “You know the rules. Be patient and everyone will get one. I promise!” 

The former scholar made a motion to move forward but was instantly frozen the moment he got a good look at the baker’s face. A familiar feeling worked it’s way into his center. One of those faces in his memories. That voice... 

_‘Can you fix him, Ayanami-sama!’_ a girl cried. _‘Fix my Haruse.’_

“I can’t... not yet. His soul is lost.” Ayanami murmured out loud, seeing into that world of visions that so often ensnared him. The bustling district completely gone from his sight. “But I will get it back.” 

He needed something. Or someone. 

_Fest._

Labrador glanced at the man offering items to the children curiously, not noting anything really special about the guy, but he still had a sense of something that made it so he couldn’t completely disregard the man. Maybe he had been someone important once. Possibly important to Furst? He shrugged and remained beside his... what was Furst to him anyway? Yet another thing he had to determine. But he appeared lost in a memory of a time no longer, and Labrador didn’t want to interrupt. He turned to watch the man continue in what Labrador could assume was a daily ritual. 

The silver haired duo did not need to approach the baker, he came on his own. He’d spotted them and thought nothing of it until those familiar memories of his own stirred into life. He was looking for a king. A king for the princess so her curse could be broken. Dodging the children at his feet he smiled at the two silver haired companions. So alike in many ways. And they both caused something in his memory to flutter into recognition. He was standing before a king. And a poisonous being. 

_Dark flowers that ate away at his powers and wound around his body. Powers he’d been gifted..._

“Excuse me!” he spoke rather loudly, unintentionally of course. Sometimes certain people made him nervous. Now and then people would enter the shop and give orders, always spooking him into instant order. Like... a soldier. 

The voice familiar, and loud, caused Ayanami to return to the present world. His eyes fluttered back into focus and he glanced up at the other, holding his bible tightly to his chest he took a step back. His visions not enough to make him trust anyone. 

The baker smiled sheepishly and held out the tray with the different kind of rolls and treats. “You just looked hungry though it may look like it, they’re not just for the kids. Those little rascals don’t really need another free roll.” he laughed a bit, scratching the back of his head a bit. “Oh... your friend can have one too, of course.” 

“He’s not my friend.” Ayanami interjected quickly. “We’re just... stuck together.” 

“Ah. Like a king and his attendant, right?” 

This made the scholar smile, though he was certain his companion didn’t appreciate such an analogy. “Maybe a little. But... I am no king.” 

The crystal blue eyes of the baker flashed for a moment. The pieces that’d he’d always been lacking were falling into place. He’d found the princess. He’d now found the king. The knight and rook were still missing but... 

He’d found him. 

Ayanami-sama. 

There was no kingdom. But an office. Ebony and golden uniforms and stacks of papers. An office that smelled like sweets and tea. They were... _Blackhawks._

But it seemed his commanding officer did not have his memories back. He was still missing the all important pieces. To suddenly intrude upon his venture did not seem right. To explain how and why he suddenly wanted to join also seemed like a poor choice. But letting the commander slip out of his grasp? 

He had to think of something quickly. 

“How unfortunate though, that you’re not a king. A princess was here looking for you.” 

“Princess...?” Ayanami glanced at Labrador. Only one being crossed his mind. The woman who had spoken to Miroku. The heavenly woman who had sent him on this quest. If they found her... 

“Mhm. She needs you to break her curse. I’m certain you’re the only one who can.” 

A clue! Their very first one and they had just started this venture. “I’ll keep that in mind and be on the lookout.” He shifted his heavy bible in his arms, the golden letters on the leather bound cover catching the light just right so the baker could not miss them. 

The bible could only mean one thing. 

The church... 

That’s where the other silver haired boy came into play, did he not? The memories of those deadly flowers wrapping around his form. Flying on a hawkzile around the massive structure. Walking the halls with other bishops. The church was the place to be. No doubt the others would be there too, right? And if they weren’t, there was no doubt that this other silver haired boy would lead Ayanami-sama there. To trap him or worse... 

The baker offered Ayanami a smile and urged the tray towards the other one. The bishop in another life. A dangerous being to say the least... Not the type of person the king should be around without his memories... 

A princess looking for her ‘king’, huh? Labrador wasn’t recalling any kings, or princesses, much less a princess with a curse. But there was the girl Furst had only mentioned moments ago, the girl who had guided him. Maybe somewhere nearby there would be the boy as well. “Do you have a description of her,” he questioned hesitantly. The baker seemed quite open, almost friendly with Furst, but there was this air, this sensation to stay away. Maybe to Labrador only? Maybe the baker didn’t like Labrador? Or maybe he was reading too much into it? Labrador had far too many questions, and nothing to write them down with in order to keep track. “If you could give a brief description, maybe we’ll have easier luck finding her.”

The baker only glanced at the poisonous bishop before turning his attention back to the king. It would be wise to give a description. “Well. She was rather small. A child. Shocking pink hair and only one visible eye. The other hidden behind a decorated patch. I think she’s had a bit of a rough time.” he spoke fondly of that girl. She was the one after all, his blue threads of fate connected to her. Even if she was never to be truly his. Just a knight. Her knight. “I hope that helps. Though I don’t actually believe she’s in this district anymore. She was traveling... Most people I meet are just visiting.” 

It would be their luck that the girl was gone. Her description sounding somewhat familiar but not enough to ring any bells within the scholar’s memory. This meant that any chance of leaving the city early was gone. They would in fact have to stay, most likely until Labrador was satisfied that they were prepared enough. Annoying... but there was nothing for it. 

“Thank you for the information. I’ll see if we can find her on our journey.” 

Labrador offered the baker a shaky smile, “We’ll keep an eye out for her. Thank you for your help.” His hands clasped together and he glanced at Furst. The baker was definitely someone to watch, someone that Labrador felt couldn’t be completely...

 _“You shouldn’t have come here,”_ his own voice echoed, a warning of what might have occurred once before. The tea shoppe worker took a deep breath and turned at Furst decisively. Staying around this baker would wear on his nerves, and it was already bad enough that Furst hated everything that had to deal with him, he didn’t need the baker being the same way. “Shall we continue towards the inn? We undoubtedly need to rest after our... disastrous time on the caravan.”

“No doubt...” Ayanami murmured watching the baker return to his shop. He took a small nibble from the roll, enjoying it’s taste considering he wasn’t terribly big on consuming things. “It’d be nice to sleep on a bed too.” Even if it was some crummy inn one it was better than anything they had to suffer through on the caravan. “One we get jobs I can start contributing to the costs of things. It doesn’t sit well with me not to.” he admitted, lowering his gaze for a moment. “So...” he rolled his shoulders for a moment gathering the words. “I do thank you for putting me up. You have no reason to...”

The tea aficionado didn’t bother to fight a smile. So there was at least some form of kindness in Furst; he was not entirely a bitter tea as he tended to come across; some honey was mixed in somewhere... “No reason to?” he questioned, “I disagree. We are similar, and we both have these symptoms, and sure, we may have no idea what we are getting into exactly but...” Labrador gave a small shrug, “I think something like this is better with two people than just one. And who knows if I would have ever had the courage to leave District Seven if I didn’t hear about you. So consider the beginnings of this my way of paying you back for,” he gestured vaguely, not even sure what he was referring to anymore, only that he could tie it back to Furst.

Ayanami blinked at the other’s words, his brow furrowing but he said nothing in response. The tea shoppe worker was plainly and simply an idiot for coming out to find him on a rumor alone. But if he hadn’t... The scholar simply offered a huff and continued on his way through the bustling district.

A random littering of different shops lined the path to the inn, some containing little displays of plants, or items that potential customers could find within. Labrador found himself wandering closer to a store filled with odds and ends, tiny useless baubles on their own, but obviously meant something to someone at one time. There were wind-up toys, looking rusted and old from disuse, elaborate plates of china with beautiful - _is that gold?_ \- inlays, many mismatched tea cups with minor cracks in the lip, or even along the design on the side. He couldn’t help but stop and look. How many of these things once were prized possessions? How many had been treasured for the entirety of their ownership until their owner was forced to give them up? 

“Why do people need such fancy plates?” Ayanami questioned tapping the glass with a finger as he peered at a floral dinner set. The silver of the forks and spoons had winding plants and roses carved into them. It seemed so unnecessary. “You just eat off them. And they’re going to get dirty. Are they just for show?” Labrador worked with dishes... he might actually have an answer that the scholar did not. 

Labrador perked up at having an answer. Maybe he’d see the younger wasn’t entirely worthless. “Well, usually such plates are used to display wealth. If you can afford to have a set with gold inlay _and_ eat off it with no issues, then it was proof of how much money one had. Typically if people are going to have any china, they’d only bring it out for special occasions, like holidays, or visits from very important people, if they would bother to use it at all. Most people like the plain plates for use, but to own something like that would be... indirectly powerful.” He pointed to another set with blue designs all along the edges and in the center of the plates. “Typically the more distinct the china the more popular they are. However what people forget is the lighter, more delicate designs, like the gold inlay, or the gentle painting of the flowers on that one, show wealth. Most people are just so happy to be able to buy china they don’t realize what they’re saying with what they’re buying.”

Well. That was more information than he needed about dishes. Ayanami placed a hand over his face for a moment taking a deep breath. Despite the long and unneeded explanation he found the whole idea exhausting. There were people in this world that had plates and dishes and never used them. They had them just to have them. What exactly was wrong with this world? The young silver haired scholar tossed the tea shoppe worker a look that told him he was done speaking about this topic and moved over to the next widow. “Dishes are dishes. You use them for one purpose. They can break and chip and stain. What does it matter if it’s gold or not?” Ayanami smiled slightly as something caught his eye in the display. A chess set. Beautifully carved pieces of all sorts of woods and stones. “If people in this world truly have no idea what to do with their money they can spend it on something worthwhile.” He pressed his hand to the glass that separated his and the playing pieces. “There are better things than dishes to show off your wealthy status. And they make you look intelligent too.” 

“It’s a social status thing, Furst. Not many people stick to it anymore, except maybe those bureaucrats and supposed descendants of royalty.” Labrador glanced at the chess set in question, “And I’m not certain everyone knows how to play such a game. Those back in District Seven spent all day doing manual labor and when they came home there was no want or need to play a game of intelligence. Chess is a game for scholars and future politicians, people who don’t have to worry about achieving a certain quota for income and living. It’s not a game the working class can play just whenever they feel like it.” 

“You don’t know how to play chess?” Ayanami wrinkled his nose for a moment as he processed this. What the other was saying did made a lot of sense. There were people in the world that simply did hard labor all day. He watched some of them from his window. They were like mules going back and forth with heavy items. Not everyone was privy to books. He _did_ know that. “I can teach you. It’s really easy once you know all the pieces and what they can do.” He smiled slightly. “If we’re going to be stuck together for who knows how long, you might as well learn how to play so we have something to do.” 

Labrador hummed lightly, “That... that sounds like it could be entertaining. If not insanely frustrating for you.” He glanced over the chess set more carefully now, looking over the pieces, the parts he felt he knew but didn’t have names for. Gloved fingers would grab a piece and move it carefully into place, while another was distracted with whatever book he held in his hands. Not such a frequent thing, but frequent enough they had a set up. “I’d appreciate that, Furst. I am already looking forward to it.”

No doubt teaching Labrador to do anything would be ridiculously frustrating but perhaps the other boy would surprise him. No doubt Labrador was knowledgeable about a great deal of other things like... 

“Yes. It should be interesting...” Ayanami stepped back towards the display of dinner and tea sets. “Perhaps in exchange you can try and teach me something.” He tapped at the glass again, pointing to the blue designed tea cup. “You know a lot about this sort of thing. Teas and social status. Important things for our travels. Things you really can’t learn from books. They’re better experienced, I would think. You read about dinner parties with all the forks and spoons... If you teach me about that. I’ll teach you how to play chess and whatever else you want to know. The church the military. Anything that I may know, I can try and pass on to you. Perhaps then we can tolerate each other a little more. Does that sound like a deal?” 

“Yes,” Labrador agreed instantly. He would get to share information about things that he found intriguing, and he would get to learn about various items in return. It seemed silly, that they had to agree to do this, but the more they found something to agree upon, it would make this easier on the both of them. “Sounds like a plan,” he almost bounced on his heels in childlike excitement.

“Right...” Ayanami agreed watching the other make a fool of himself. Maybe this wasn’t a great idea but it was better than fighting, though they’d probably still do that. This fool drove him crazy. But if he could educate him a bit then maybe he wouldn’t be so bad. _Maybe._

Glancing at the tea and chess set one last time Ayanami pulled himself away, beckoning the other to follow. “This is a busy district. Rooms may be hard to find if we wait too long. I won’t be held responsible if we can’t find anything.” 

Labrador pulled away from the window almost reluctantly before following dutifully along. “If we can’t find someplace to stay, maybe your new baker friend would have a suggestion on where we can.”

“Jealousy is disgusting trait.” Ayanami simply retorted. 

The other scoffed. “Not jealous. Was just thinking we could use your expert friendship making abilities to our benefit.”

“And here I was thinking I was the one with the poor social skills.” The scholar stuck his nose up in the air as he spoke. “What was it that you said...? I make everyone feel inferior when I speak to them? Maybe it’s just you.” 

“Obviously he seems to have experience dealing with people like you. All haughty and self-assured. Why else would he run up to you like he knows your life story?”

“Sounds like I fit in with the higher social statuses quite well. Perhaps I don’t need you to teach me anything after all.” 

“It’d last until you sat at a dinner table and then didn’t realize what plate went with what meal and why your drink is supposed to be to the right of the plate and not the left.” Labrador rolled his eyes.

“Tell me, what fork at the table do I use to stab you with?” Ayanami tossed a glare at the other. “I don’t want to hesitate when the time comes.”

“Depends, do you wish to have dessert afterward or no?” Labrador ignored the glare, close proximity with it during the trip over made it less threatening than it first appeared. “Because if you hope to stab me in the eyeball, but you want dessert, I recommend until after eating said meal. That tiny fork is best for those things, you know.”

“What a shame I’m not into sweets. I’ll just have to use the big dinner fork then.”

The bickering continued all the way to the inn and long into the night.


	7. Finding Your Place

### And the fears that once controlled me, Can’t get to me at all. It’s time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through. No right, no wrong, no rules for me, I’m free! - Let it Go, Idina Menzel

The following morning started less early than Labrador had hoped, but still at a decent enough time. The sun had already arisen, there was a definite hussle to the people of the Fifth District that he hadn’t noticed the previous evening. The younger of the two stood at the tiny window they had that peered outside, his face almost pressed against the glass as he took in the interactions, and the way people seemed to be so... happy.

It was nothing like Seven. Seven had an unspoken rule of no conversation unless necessary. There was no need to smile at someone unless they had done something to benefit you, or unless you were taking glee in someone else’s suffering. The only happy memories were allowed indoors, away from the sight of those who would take advantage.

But not here. Not in this place of growth and capitalism. Here they were far from the once glorious church that was coated in man- and flesh-eating plants. Here they didn’t have to worry about whether they would have to trade anything for food, like other necessities. Labrador could get a job just as he had done back in Seven. He could provide for himself and Furst if necessary. The room wasn’t too expensive, and if he could manage a decent income they could stay for an extended period of time.

He glanced at the other man in the room, reading the book again and again before glancing at the clock on the wall. It was past the typical morning rush hour now, but he still had time before the elevenses started. Immediately after that was lunch, and then afternoon tea, dinner, high tea, supper... He sighed. He’d have to work with what he could find.

The elder’s similar shade of violet glanced over at the window that his traveling companion was pressed up against. The day was starting to pass them by and they’d gotten nothing accomplished. Honestly… that didn’t sit well with Ayanami. He felt like someone who should constantly be doing something and the long ride on the caravan had only irritated him terribly because there was a severe amount of nothing to do. Accept read this book, of course.

But he found himself, despite finally having a chance to do something, sleeping in. It was the first time he’d ever been allowed to do so in his entire life. And really, it gave him mixed feelings to be quite honest.

The silver let out a sigh and shut his book. “You can always go out if you’re so eager to do something. It is true that the sooner we find jobs the sooner we can leave this place. Clearly you have skills in a certain area so finding something to do shouldn’t be an issue.” It’s he who would have some troubles. His skills included reading and writing so maybe he could find a place where he shuffled around paperwork all day. Perhaps he’d come across an interesting tidbit of information that would help them in their quest. The sooner they got a lead the better. Who knew when those kor would be back. Truly Ayanami was eager to stop Verloren and complete their seemingly heaven sent mission.

The scholar slid off his side of the bed, pushing his book aside. There was much he’d like to do. Aside from work and gather more information he’d like to start training with Zaiphon and defensive spells. They needed stronger powers if they were to defeat their enemies.

To be strong…

That was something he had wanted all his life. But always it had been out of reach. Untouchable for someone like him. But not anymore…

Labrador nodded and moved away from the window. He searched through his bags and double checked he had anything that may of be of help in his job search. After adjusting his clothes and reaching for his cloak, he paused. “You’ll be fine here by yourself? Or will you be leaving the room?” He was hesitant to leave his bag in the room unattended.

Ayanami glanced away, uncertain of what he was going to do. “Well… I need to find work as well. I figured you’d go to where you can find work. And I’d go find work I’d be suitable for.” Whatever that was. Surely reading and writing had to get him work somewhere. He wasn’t terribly sure how good of a skill it was or how capable the rest of the world was in such a thing. Despite this, he nodded firmly, finally having come to a decision. “I’m going to leave too. We’ll both return with at least a lead on a job.”

The younger nodded and shoved his bag underneath the bed, so at least it wouldn’t be out in plain sight. “I’ll be heading out then.” He decided on leaving his cloak and glanced at himself briefly in a mirror, deemed himself ‘decent’ and stepped out the door of the quaint room they’d been assigned. Before it closed behind him, he gestured to the key sitting on the desk. “I’ll leave you with that, I should be back before dinner, assuming you’ll be back by then too...” He shifted from one foot to the other, wondering if he’d overstepped his bounds. He found interacting with the other was difficult and easily misconstrued and filled with invisible landmines that he would undoubtedly step on a few times before either dying a horrible death or the other learned to tolerate his lack of tact. The other would get over it... hopefully. “If not, I’ll see you sometime later and let you know if I was successful!” Labrador closed the door with a small snap before releasing a sigh.

Ayanami was trying not to be so easily offended at everything the other said. But it was difficult. At least they were both trying. Now that Labrador was gone, Aya threw himself back on the bed not having the slightest clue what to do with himself or what he could do. He had a great many talents, just not anything useful in the real world. Surely he couldn’t do anything physical lest he die on the job or something…

He had to get a job somewhere where he could gather information too. Military information. Church information. There were two raising powers once more and now was the time to infiltrate their information networks. Even a small nowhere position would allow him to learn something. Verloren must be stopped after all.

The church. He knew a great deal of information already so that would be the ideal place to go and find work. Even if it was just passing out flyers or holding up signs. ‘Have you heard of the Chief of Heaven?’ Things of that nature. Trickles of information about Verloren and Kor were sure to come his way. It was just a matter of time. Following Labrador’s lead, he tucked his all important book under the bed and threw his dark cloak over his shoulders. Surely somewhere in this great big city there was representative of the Church that could point him in the right direction.

Snatching his key to the room he took his first steps out into the world alone.

This district was always bustling and chaotic. He expected nothing less from the prosperous Fifth District. But it would make things difficult and hard to find. He assumed just wandering would do for now. Eventually something would come up if he looked long enough. And if Ayanami really found himself struggling that kind baker seemed to like him well enough, he was sure he could ask that man for assistance. Labrador had pointed out something unpleasant not that long ago. How he was better with people while all Ayanami did was insult them… well. That was about to change. He’d befriend all these miserable souls if it meant finding a lead to this quest of theirs. He’d show that miserable tea slave!

* * *

 

Labrador found himself standing outside a tea shop, wringing his hands together. The shop was just as clean and elegant as the one he and Ayanami drank in the day before, and the smell of tea was far more powerful here as it wasn’t overwhelmed by the scents coming from that bakery. Despite the fact that he knew the other tea shop could probably use his help - even if it was only in making sure the teas were steeped for the correct amount of time - this one wasn’t right next door to that man. And Labrador preferred that. With a deep breath, he stepped inside, and began seeking out the owner.

He came out of the tea shop feeling a bit anxious and disappointed. His applying for a job didn’t go so well. He pulled himself together with a small sniffle, already a tiny bit discouraged from the negative answer, but he had to keep trying. His funds would only supply them for a little while, and the sooner he could pad them the better. He tried another just a bit further down the street before he found himself standing outside the tea shop from the day before, decisively ignoring the smell of the pastries from next door. Labrador took a deep, steadying breath and told himself he couldn’t feel the gaze on him as he stepped inside.

He emerged victorious and on the schedule for the next day, a list in his hands of their teas and the recommended temperatures and steeping times that he quickly shoved inside the nearest garbage can. It would be more difficult to remember what teas they didn’t have. Labrador allowed himself to glance inside the bakery, his eyes searching out the man who made him feel uncomfortable the day before. Was he there? Or was he out and about? The lavender haired teeenager sighed, wondering if it’d even be possible to avoid the man when working right next door to him. Be the mature one, he told himself, just like back in District Seven when people talked about you all the time behind your back. Be the mature one.

Haruse was in fact in his bakery, doing what he did best. He was rather thrilled at all that had happened yesterday, even if it meant he’d have to leave this place soon. He’d found the king. He found the princess. All that was left was to do was… Well. Figure out the rest, he supposed.

A frown overtook the baker. What to do from here? Having all the players didn’t amount to much if you didn’t have a playing field. Oh. He didn’t have all the players did he? There were people missing…

Think. Think. He chided himself. Who else was--

The loud clunk of his rolling pin rolling away and onto the floor shattered his thoughts. As he went to pick it up he caught the sight of that unique silver hair. Ayanami. If he could have a moment with him he could make a plan. Surely once he helped their Chief with his own memories the man would have a plan. He always had a plan!

Upon further inspection he noted that it wasn’t Ayanami at all. It was that other silver haired… person. Haruse’s memories were still a torrent of uncertainty. He had no idea who that person was or where he was from… but Haruse just knew there was a sense of danger about him. Upon looking at him he felt a binding like force constricting him of thinking rationally. As if… as if his very energy was being drained from him. Strangling the life out of him.

Black petaled flowers…

That was all he could recall when he saw that person.

Ayanami being around that person was not good. The baker was sure of this. But he needed to learn more.

“I’ll be right back!” Haruse informed his friend with the brightest of smiles. He quickly popped whatever rolls were close by into a small paperbag and hurried outside, ignoring the questions of his coworker.

“Excuse me!” he called out to the silver haired man. “Excuse me!” He hurried through the bustling streets to catch up finally managing to tap him upon the shoulder. “Excuse me. Sorry to bother… We met yesterday, remember? You and that friend of yours. I work at the bakery.”

Labrador turned to look at the baker anxiously. He should have known better than to linger where the other may have been able to see him. “Ah, yes. I do remember.” It was difficult to forget that instant feeling of unease, not to mention the glare of animosity. “Can... Can I help you?” He sent up a mental prayer that he wasn’t going to regret asking that.

“Well.” Haruse began, not really having thought too much about this plan. Just that he was going to do it. What to say hadn’t crossed his mind. “Ah…” Why was he giving these rolls and sweets out? Why would someone who needed to make money do that? “I was just… your friend and you don’t look all that well.” Yes. Excellent. Carefully insult their health. “Not to say you don’t look healthy. But that you look like you could use food.” He certainly hoped he wasn’t like this in his past life. But he had a feeling he was. “So… I saw you and here.” He held out the bag of rolls and sweets, needing to stop taking or make a point relatively soon. “I give children free snacks all the time. If they needed it or not, I really don’t know. But I figure you and your friend could do with a couple of free treats. Food can get expensive here sometimes. It’s a thriving place but that doesn’t mean things are cheap. Especially meat and the like. Not that… this is meat, but you understand. Taxes are rising too. WIth the military beginning to take flight once more we’re being charged more than normal. It’s fine for business people who can afford it. But sometimes the wayward traveller struggles. So. I thought I could do you and your friend a favor.”  A good recovery. He smiled kindly at Labrador, shaking the bag a bit to entice the other to take it. “My name is Haruse, by the way.”  

Labrador surveyed the bag with lingering uncertainty. The man was good at sending mixed messages, but Labrador wasn’t certain he could afford to turn away this help, not so early into his journey at least. He quickly asked himself what was more important: pride or money. At this moment, money won out and he took the bag of pastries gratefully. “Ah, I... Thank you. You didn’t have to do this.” He flashed a small smile. “I’m sure Furst will probably appreciate these. I think he liked the pastry you gave him yesterday.” He shifted from foot to foot and glanced around. This felt like begging. This felt awkward and the man who introduced himself as Haruse still had him nervous. “I’m Labrador. My... friend,” was that the right term for Furst? Once again he was uncertain, “is Ayanami. He’s...” The sentence dropped off, Labrador wasn’t even certain he knew where he was trying to go with it.

Ayanami. Haruse already knew but this just confirmed it. As for the name Labrador… It didn’t ring any bells but he’d log it away for now. He was sure it’d be useful in the future, especially when he started running into more of his comrades. “Labrador.” he repeated, imprinting it to his memory. “It’s a pleasure to met you. Again, I suppose.” He laughed and laced his fingers behind his back. “It was nice speaking to you and your friend yesterday. I trust you both found a nice place to stay? Things tend to get busy around here when those caravans pull in. But most people are gone within a day or two. But then another one shows up a few days later. But during that lull you can always try and find a nicer or closer place to stay. Ah… depending on how long you two are staying it might be worth it. Where was it that you two were going? Or do you plan on staying here?” Cerulean hues glanced back at the tea shop… a thought coming to him. Looking for work possibly? Surely this man wouldn’t have come here for tea without the other. Well, there was a possibility but it just seemed unlikely. That meant a possible long term stay. This was good news for Haruse. It meant he could keep a close eye on both of them while continuing to work.  Even better if the suspicious party was working next door to him. Though he wished the Chief was working close as well. He was the one to get close to. He needed his memories back and quickly. The princess was looking for him after all. It was imperative that they find each other.

Labrador found himself attempting to comprehend all the information passed to him in only a few moments. “Ah, yes, we managed to find an inn that is willing to keep us for a period of time. It’ll do until we can determine which direction we’re going to head in.” He cleared his throat and straightened up. “We decided to search for temporary jobs, I was lucky that you guys have so many tea shoppes in the nearby area.” He honestly wondered what Furst would end up doing while here, what sort of job he would be able to handle after years of handling only books. Labrador adjusted his grip on the bag of pastries, head tilting slightly in thought. “Though, Haruse, if you see Furst, would you help him find a job? A--Assuming he asks for it of course!” he back tracked. Last thing he needed was Furst killing him in his sleep because he didn’t trust the man to find something on his own.

Haruse brightened up completely. “Oh of course! If I see him before he finds a job I’ll just give him a job in the bakery. It’s not hard and he’ll catch on quickly. Anything I can do to help.” How to explain this enthusiasm to help strangers… hopefully this man wouldn’t ask. But having Ayanami work in his shop would be perfect. He might have to go hunt down the man at once just to be sure he remained safe in the bakery. Once the Chief’s memories returned they could go find Kuroyuri and the others.

Labrador’s smile was immensely grateful, and he relaxed at the thought. “Thank you. You are far too kind.” He wasn’t certain why such a man would be so helpful. The coincidence was almost a bit too much, but Labrador wasn’t ready or willing to call him out on it. If the man had plans somewhere down the line, he’d worry about that then, but now he was going to take it as it was appearing. “I don’t know if I can say thank you enough times, but,” he shrugged and hefted the bag higher, “I should probably take this back to the inn. I don’t know if he’s eaten or left and this way I won’t have to worry about dropping it.”

Haruse waved his hands at the thank you, simply to be polite. He should be the one saying thank you, after all, Labrador had put Ayanami right into his hands. He couldn’t ask for a better gift. “I must go back. But if I see him, I’ll snag him!” Not quite the truth. While his partner at the bakery would not be pleased he was not going back until he’d found Ayanami.

Letting Labrador go on his way, Haruse turned and went his own, nearly desperate to find their Chief.

* * *

 

The former scholar was on the other side of the District, having wandered there completely unaware of all the chatter and plotting about him. He was rather desperate to find work. Being useless and needing to depend on someone did not sit well with him in the least. He peeked into a few shops and was told the requirements. Some were simple enough but he doubted if he could do them. Others were running positions. Delivering letters or packages. Things he knew he couldn’t do.

Ayanami pushed back his hood with a sigh, feeling that he was a bit more useless than he first thought. He hadn’t expected to be so incapable. There had to be something in this big district he was capable of doing.

He continued down one of the busier streets, a brightly lit alleyway catching his eye. Figuring he had absolutely nothing to lose from wandering off the main road he stepped down the narrower road.

There were shops here too. Apothecaries and such.  And… A book store! Thank the Chief of Heaven or whoever it didn’t matter. A book store! He entered finding no one at the desk, but that was fine. For a moment he simply looked over the covers of the books and finding them to all be very… odd.

In fact… Gently he ran his finger down the spine of one of the volumes to find it new. New books. And more than one on the shelf. How…?

“I don’t know how interesting you’d find those books.” he heard a voice from behind him say. “They’re for the military. Zaiphon and sword techniques. Ancient works rewritten over and over again for the new soldiers of the military.”

Ayanami’s violet eyes went wide. Zaiphon. This is exactly what they needed. He could hardly believed that he’d come across such a place. “Do you write all these by hand?” he asked. “There are dozens.”

“There is a small team that works from their homes and writes them and brings them back to me. The military has ordered a thousand and we’re not even half way there with all the volumes they want. We’re working on it.”

Eager, unbelieably so, the young man bounced on his toes. “I can write! I worked in the library in the Sixth District my whole life and rewrote volume after volume for the scholars there. You can write the the library in the Sixth District and ask them about me. My name is Ayanami Furst. I can do this. I wish to help.”  

This seemed to catch the elderly gentleman by surprise. He certainly hadn’t expected such request. But he could hardly discard another helping hand. The military was paying for people to write and the sooner this was done the sooner the more they’d get paid.

The owner of the store simply gave Ayanami a quick writing test to make sure the younger could write and write legibly. Which he, of course, could. Satisfied he was given two volumes and several blank books along with many quills and ink. A heavy load… but worth it.

“I need at least one book done a week. And there are some pictures. Trace them and do your best.”

The former scholar nodded vigorously. Not only did he find a job but he found something he could learn about while he was at it. The library didn’t have works like this. Where this man had gotten such old copies to be able to rewrite them he didn’t know.  

A book a week was also terribly easy. These books weren’t that thick. Clearly just the basics but sometimes that’s all you needed to know. The rest took your own skill and practice. Thrilled beyond reason, he lugged his load back to the inn.

Finally. He could be of some use. He could sit in their inn all day and work and learn. He hadn’t exactly wanted to go right back to that kind of life. But if Labrador was working in the tea shoppe, exactly what he used to do, then Aya could do the same. It was about making money at this point, not necessarily about pride.

* * *

 

Work at the tea shoppe was quick and easy, if only a bit busier than he was used to. Labrador bustled from table to table and prepared tea quickly. The day went even quicker, and sometimes the owner had to shove Labrador out the front door to stop him from working over the agreed upon amount. Those days Labrador wondered why the man hired him if he was so desperate to get him to leave at the end of his shift, but appreciated the break when the time came.

And interaction with Haruse was stilted and confusing, and filled with the baker posing what felt like hundreds of questions while Labrador attempted to keep up. Sometimes he managed to answer them all in order, and other days he didn’t even bother trying. But the man brought him pastries every week after work, and Labrador felt as though he was more and more in the man’s debt. But Ayanami didn’t seem to question where the pastries came from, so Labrador didn’t have to field questions from both sides.

Despite all these confusing interactions and finding next to nothing in eavesdropping on conversations, Labrador felt confident to continue. He was getting a fairly sizable paycheck every week, and room and board wasn’t too much. He could easily buy some random necessities if needed, and have some to spare. And who knew how much Ayanami was getting from whatever job it was that kept him busy for hours, once again cooped up in a building.

Labrador’s nose scrunched up slightly as he took a sip of the tea he had on break. Wasn’t the point of coming with him on this journey to see the world? Meet people? Find answers? And there the guy was, practically locked in the hotel room, pouring over books just as he probably did back at the library. He heaved a sigh and finished his cup, followed by glancing at the time. Only a few more hours and then he’d be off of work for the next couple days. Maybe they could actually eat food food today. A meal at a restaurant or something. Just anything more than the pastries they hoarded away and the water from the inn.

Labrador could scoff at the scholar’s work all he liked. Ayanami was doing something amazing and he knew it. Not only was he helping the military in a way but he was also learning. He had all this time to himself to do as he pleased. And the instructions in the book were very clear for the average basic soldier. Only a few days into his job Ayanami decided to try it out.

There was a certain level of focus needed. And not everyone could do it well. He also read that there were different kinds of zaiphon. Some were better in attacking. Others in defense. And then there were some that could move things. And of course, there was healing as well. Being alone gave him plenty of time to practice these things. So, taking a deep breath Ayanami stood in the middle of the room, hand held out.

Use your words and focus them into energy. They had to be strong feelings that caused the words to form. You had to feel and feel strongly. That seemed difficult to Ayanami. He didn’t have a lot of strong emotions one way or the other. He was confused and annoyed a lot but never really angry. Or really happy. He just… existed. Maybe an attack zaiphon wasn’t a good way to start.

A defensive one then. Where you protected yourself with your words. Now that was something he could do. He always felt the need to protect himself from the words and snide remarks of others. All this life he had to do that. It certainly seemed the right way to start learning about these things.

So for the time they were here, Ayanami would practice for a couple hours a day trying to make defensive barriers around himself. His words seemed to not be strong enough to make anything more than a rainbow colored tiny bubbles that sat in the palm of his hand, with his small words wrapping around them. Well. If anyone wanted to stab him in the hand he was safe.

The more he tried and refocused his words the bigger they became. What he found really helped was focusing on those memories of a past life. It wasn’t just about wanting to protect yourself. But the others around you. Whomever he was in that past life… that person wanted to do that very much.

Ayanami let out a deep breath his words finally taking a decent size and swirling around him, creating that defensive bubble he’d been trying at for weeks.

Violet colored hues peeked out, seeing the rainbow tinted wall surrounding him, the scarlet and black words spinning around him at an amazing speed. Whatever those letters said he didn’t know they moved too quickly. What mattered was that he’d made a barrier.

He was thrilled. Truly thrilled. He couldn’t stop that swelling tightness in his chest, what he assumed actual happiness felt like. See! They could do this. They truly could.

Completely obvious with his achievement and trying to read the words spinning about he didn’t hear the click of the door to tell him that his roommate had returned.  

Labrador stepped in and his greeting was caught on the tip of his tongue. Numerous colors surrounded the older teen, held up by bands of words that spun almost too fast to read. He stared in shock. The other could make shields, he could use the defensive zaiphon. This was... wonderful. “Is that what you’ve been working on the past couple weeks?” Labrador questioned, walking as close as he dared to the shield. He itched to pick something up and prod at it to see if it would hold.

Aya’s gaze was on the words. “Yuki… yuki….” he couldn’t make out the rest. It was simply going too fast to read. Silver brows furrowed deeply he finally took note of Labrador. Feeling a bit abashed now that his secret was out, he simply nodded at the question. “Yes. I’ve been doing my part. I really have. If I could have gotten a job where I could talk to people I would have. But I write books for the military… I figure if I could learn how to attack and defend with the zaiphon we could be on our way sooner. That’s the goal in this district, right? Money and being able to defend ourselves.”

He didn’t want Labrador to think he was being useless the whole time. He was trying to do his part. “I… I also have some money to give you as well. To help pay for all of this. I keep meaning to give it to  you, but…” he trailed off. Always so lost in his work. Writing the same thing over and over again while also trying to absorb it. “Oh!” The scholar’s eyes lit up at an idea. “Do you want to see if the shield works?”

The younger’s eyes widened at the thought of Ayanami paying him back. The words to tell him it was completely unnecessary were stuck in his throat. He figured it would have been in gestures or something later on that they would be ‘even’, to actually put a price on what they had accomplished so far felt off.

He glanced at the desk where a couple things, some longer than others, were available to use on the shield. “It might be worth testing.” He circled around the edge of the rainbow shield and grabbed a sealed inkwell. Labrador tossed it in the air and caught it, making sure the lid didn’t spontaneously decide to open. “Should I toss it? Or how do you want to do this? It’s your shield.”

“Well.” That was a good question. He didn’t know how strong  this shield was or if it could block anything. He’d just made it perfectly complete just minutes ago. “Toss it gently.” he advised. “That way it won’t hurt me if it gets through.” Of course if the shield worked what would happen then? He hoped the ink well didn’t shatter on the wall or floor…

Labrador nodded. “I’ll toss it like we’re playing catch then, so be ready to catch it...?” He was a bit uneasy at the idea of actually throwing something at Ayanami, but there really was no other manner in which to test the shield. He sent up a prayer to whoever was listening that the inkwell wouldn’t shatter before he counted to three and lightly tossed it towards Ayanami.

The scholar watched the inkwell spin slowly in the air as it came toward him. It would either hit the shield and be repelled backwards or hit him. Bracing himself for either scenario he watched as the item hit the shield and…

Well. It just stayed there. Half in. Half out.

“Oh.” Well. It worked kinda… It did stop the thing.

That was new, Labrador couldn’t help but think. “I... am pretty sure it isn’t supposed to do that.” He reached out for the inkwell, and prodded at it with the tip of a finger. The inkwell shifted and spun in the shield’s hold, but it didn’t move further in or topple out. “Will it stay there until you lower the shield then? Or are we going to have a perpetually floating inkwell in our hotel room from now on?” He asked aloud, an amused smile on his lips.

Ayanami pouted at this remark. “It’ll fall down once I let up the shield,” he defended irritably. Probably.

He relaxed himself and lowered his hands, the shield eventually falling apart due to his lack of concentration. And as he’d hoped, the inkwell fell into his waiting hands. He let out a sigh of relief. He’d have never heard the end of it if the inkwell had stayed floating in the air.

“See. I told you.” he retorted, holding it out for Labrador to take.

Labrador took the inkwell, his smile only widening. “I am so sorry for doubting you, Your Highness,” he couldn’t help but tease. “But as neither of us were too sure, I thought I’d play kor’s advocate.” He held the inkwell between his two hands and rotated it lazily. “You got the shield to hold, and you managed to release it almost on command. That’s pretty great!” He perked up. “I think this is a sign we should celebrate. Let’s get real food.” He gestured to the bag of pastries, which were almost halfway to spoiling. “We can finish those up for breakfast in the morning, but I want some good food tonight. What do you think?”

Chief help him, yes did he want something besides rolls. Not that they were bad. He was just so tired of eating them. Sick individuals like them needed to eat something besides bread all the time. Even he got to have meat at the library. “Please. That’d be lovely. Oh. And before I forget.” Ayanami patted at his robes digging for the coin pouch. “I get paid per book. And it’s a pretty decent amount. But… Here. It’s for everything. The inn when we left. The carriage. And well. Everything… I guess…” Well overdue payment for all things. He held out the silky black pouch filled with all that he had made for rewriting the books for the Barsburg military.  

Labrador stared at the bag. Did he really want to take that money? Ayanami had earned it, and Labrador wasn’t certain. It was phrased as though Ayanami was saying good bye. But he wouldn’t, right? They’d barely started. He coughed and took the bag from Ayanami’s hands, sticking his hand in and grabbed only a couple before handing the bag back. “Here, you pay for dinner tonight and we’ll call it even.” He didn’t even bother glancing at the miniscule amount he pulled from the bag and threw it into his own pouch with a lackadaisicalness that he didn’t feel. “Now, do we want somewhere with major gourmet meats and dishes that we probably cannot pronounce or shall we go somewhere that’s quaint?” He hoped the change in topic wouldn’t give away how uncomfortable he was with the whole situation.

Ayanami let out a huff but wasn’t sure he could argue. What could you do when someone didn’t want to take your money. “If I have to pay, then you pick. I’ll eat whatever probably. I don’t think I know enough about different kinds of food to really pick a place. So let’s just try anything.”

The younger nodded, supposing that made sense. “All I know are the dishes we tended to have back home, like eyefish stew.” He reached on the desk for the room key and beckoned for Ayanami to follow him. “Let’s go look and experience District Five cuisine, shall we?” He laughed, almost skipping out the door.

Eyefish stew? Ayanami stuck out his tongue as Labrador turned his back to him. That sounded vile. Hoping District five had better food than eyefish, he followed after. The atmosphere between them rather pleasant, for once. They normally never really talked in the inn despite being in such close proximity to each other. He was always working and… well. he didn’t know what Labrador was doing.

He trusted the other to lead the way to a decent part of town. Ayanami didn’t get out much and when he did it wasn’t anywhere else aside from the military bookstore. “Has Haruse told you about any good places to eat? You two seem to talk a lot. He’s always bringing you food.”

Labrador hummed, “Not really? Outside of the occasional asking how work is and such, he seems to ask more and more about what our plans are, if we’re leaving soon, were we planning on switching inns., things like that.” He tugged at the hem of one of his sleeves. This was uncomfortable. He was pretty sure Haruse only conversed with him because of Ayanami, but he didn’t have any proof, and it wasn’t like Ayanami left the inn often enough to test the theory. “And he gives the food over without any real prompting. I walk out of work and he’s there waiting and hands it to me, telling me what kind in particular he was handing over this week.” He sighed and glanced around, looking for a place that caught his eye. Some of them were too colorful, and hinted at spices that Labrador was sure he wouldn’t be able to handle, and who knew if Ayanami could.

Ayanami found this all very odd, to be honest. He wasn’t the best with people or how to interact with them that all felt kind of strange to him. Ayanami had read a lot of books but he didn’t usually stray out of the history section when he did… Oh! Ayanami knew exactly what this was. “Oooh~” He picked up his pace a bit so he could walk beside Labrador, leaning in a bit he smirked knowingly. “I bet he doesn’t want you to go. That’s why all the questions about plans. and then he brings you food. Labrador. I am shocked at you. All those years working in the tea shoppe and you didn’t pick up any of the tall tale signs of basic human flirting. Clearly the baker Haruse is trying to ask you out on a date. It’s clear as day. Why else would he be there waiting with a care package? Ha!” He was so smart to have figured that out. He wasn’t as sheltered as the tea shoppe worker thought.  

Labrador’s eyes went wide and he choked. “W-what?! NO!” He gestured wildly. “There’s no way Haruse is... I just... He’s..” he tried to demonstrate how much taller and wider Haruse was, “And he just.. No. he... “ His expression dropped into a dumbfounded shock. “He cannot hold a conversation for very long, and he just keeps asking random questions. None are... No. He...” Labrador sputtered. “Just. No.” But oh gods, what if Ayanami was right?! Labrador was mortified at the very thought. His insides twisted and Labrador wanted to immediately head back to the inn to run over every single conversation to make sure that Ayanami was absolutely wrong and he was completely right about the whole deal.

A knowing smile graced Ayanami’s features and he simply chuckled not going to push the subject. Poor Labrador. All flustered. A clear sign. Haruse was pretty big though, from what Ayanami could remember from that small meeting. And Labrador was… smallish.

There was no time for romances though. Now that he could use the defensive zaiphon it meant that they were that much closer to leaving. The deal was that they had to save up money and then they’d be on their way. And Ayanami knew just where to go.

The look on the elder’s face only made Labrador’s insides twist more, and he scowled. No, there was no way. As he said, no. He settled on a small family restaurant that claimed to have dishes catering to numerous palettes, hoping they would be able to find something for both of them to enjoy. They were led to a table and handed menus for them to peer over curiously. He searched for something that was similar to a dish or two from home, if only to slowly branchout. He had to squint to read the text, so he relied on what pictures he could see and choose from there.

Aya, on the other hand, wanted something completely different to what he used to eat in the library. He wasn’t the biggest fan of food in general it was just a chore to do to ensure he kept on living. Reluctantly he pulled out his glasses and put them on so he could read the tiny print. There were many different things to choose from. He wasn’t sure what many of them in. Fish caught his eye… he’d never had fish before. And it clearly wasn’t eye fish. It was some sort of raw meat wrapped in rice and vegetables it seemed. That sounded suitable.

They both placed their orders, deciding to drink the Earl Grey tea together. Afterwards, Labrador relaxed and took in the atmosphere of the restaurant, the cosy decorations that didn’t scream of too much money or anything that demanded people be of a certain respectability. It was nice. It was the perfect place for a relaxing dinner after weeks of working. They certainly earned this.

The scholar took a deep breath having no interest in the decoration. Instead he leaned in a bit, wanting to talk of their plans. He still truly believed that they were chosen to defeat Verloren and that was still his plan. Knowing what he did now and having some tools to defend himself with it was time to move on. They had money so it was time to go.

“I’ve been thinking we should move on from this place. I think if you’d learned anything of importance you’d have told me.” Unless Labrador had and he just hadn’t been listening. “From what I’ve gathered there is a main military headquarters in district one. But there are small ones littered around. Considering where we are in District Five it’s too much of a hassle to get to. It’s also fairly close to the church. It’d be easier to head towards the small branch in district four and then make our way to the new capital for Barsburg. They say last time Verloren invaded the military so that’s why we should head there. Put an end to this before it even begins.” He nodded his head at his clearly foolproof plan. He’d put a lot of thought into this. It was time to go. He’d had enough of being cooped up in this district. It was time to fly and do this destiny thing they’d been dragged in to.

Labrador’s eyebrows knitted together in thought. A church? They were setting up churches around the districts? But Ayanami wanted to continue towards District Four... He tapped his fingers on the table. “I am not so sure we should attempt to invade the military yet.” The younger peered up at Ayanami in worry. “You may be able to shield yourself, but I cannot do that, and I would only be a hinderance in your attempt to enter. My vision and sickness wouldn’t be of any help to you as well.” He shifted and sighed, and wished the next couple words didn’t need to be said. “I can go survey the new church though, see if they’ve heard or seen anything about the kor. The fact we encountered one shows that they need to be informed Verloren is coming back.” His hands clasped together on the table to prevent himself from tugging on the table cloth or fiddling with the silverware in nervousness. “I think we may need to split up...?”

Needless to say Ayanami was a bit put out by the instant decline of his carefully plotted out plan. However, the counter wasn’t terrible. Labrador would go take a look at the church and inform them of what had happened. Verloren was an issue the church needed to know about. But… The church was not a place he wanted to enter. Every part of him said no. He couldn’t explain why but… He would not step foot there. It’s why he didn’t want to backtrack towards the base that was closest to the church. It didn’t feel like a good idea. So… a split it was then?

“Alright. We split up. I go one way. And you go the other. We part before the week is up.” He’d finish up the last book and get his last paycheck for a while. And then… It was off to find out more about Verloren. Their journey would continue. Just on different paths.

Labrador took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll let the inn staff know we’ll be out of their hair soon then. As well as let work know... Haruse should probably know not to make us any extra pastries anymore...” Despite how much they’d been living off the pastries, he couldn’t deny the fact they were tasty. He was going to miss them.

The food was sent before them but for whatever reason it didn’t seem as appealing anymore. This is what he’d wanted from the beginning though. To separate and just …

He held back any further thoughts, this is what had to be done and that’s all there was to it. Nodding to himself and to Labrador’s words he picked up his fork and stuck it in the raw fish he had in front of him. The meal being eaten in silence.


End file.
